


Sweets, Treats, Scales, and Tails

by LunaClefairy



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Curses, F/M, Fairy Tale Elements, Fluff, Light Angst, Mutual Pining, Romance, Self-Indulgent, cheesy title for a cheesy fic, no beta we die like Glenn, seriously folks get ready for cheesiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:01:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 54,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24131764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaClefairy/pseuds/LunaClefairy
Summary: Five years ago, Felix Hugo Fraldarius lost everything. Trapped in an unfamiliar body and invisible to the outside world, he spends each day in misery.Annette Fantine Dominic hopes to uncover the truth about the supposedly cursed Lake Ninis. One stumble into the water later, she realizes she's found far more than she bargained for.A chance encounter and a song change both their worlds forever.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 229
Kudos: 234
Collections: Works That Will Not Leave You Alone





	1. A Song of Steaks and Cakes

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the cheesy idea I've been working on since September 2019 and started writing back in November 2019. The idea came to me after I had a dream about a merman Felix the night after I stayed up too late reading Sylvix fanfiction. Ironically, this started as a Sylvix fic, but as the weeks passed and I actually started putting plot into the idea and I fell into the Felannie rabbit hole, it wound up turning into a Felannie fic instead. Writing is weird, sometimes...
> 
> I originally posted this for MerMay, although I hadn't intended it to be a MerMay fic. I had originally planned to wait on posting until I was very close to being finished but wound up caving and posted the first chapter early... And then I went on a writing spree over the whole summer and wound up updating far faster than I thought.
> 
> Anyway, I embarrassed myself multiple times writing this with how incredibly cliche this got, but we live for cliches, I guess.
> 
> CW for a small mention of near drowning.

How long had it been since he last tasted air?

Years ago, Felix never would have imagined something as simple and ubiquitous as air to be something he would miss, and yet here he was. He missed being able to move without constant resistance. He missed the feel of the wind against his face cooling him after a long training session. And he _really_ missed being able to breathe in and out instead of feeling everything rush out through the sides of his neck every time he inhaled.

He missed other things, too. Like standing, practicing his swordplay, eating cooked food, and being able to roam freely. Those luxuries were reserved for creatures of the land, however, and Felix could no longer count himself among them.

For the millionth time, Felix cursed the witch who had forced him into this mess. At the time, he'd been a mercenary, and the bounty on the witch's head had been too good to pass up, not to mention that she sounded like a perfect way to test his skills. He underestimated her, though. While he succeeded in slaying her, he did not escape unscathed. In fact, he didn't escape at all.

"Arrogant… whelp…" she wheezed, managing a deadly glare despite the sword thrust through her heart. "You honestly think this is over?"

Felix snorted. He had expected her to have one last trick up her sleeve. He leapt back as her body started to glow red. An instant later, the red light rushed out of her and towards him. He leapt out of the way, but it whirled around and charged at him again. He didn't have the time to dodge a second time and took a direct hit. Pain pulsed all through his body and forced him to his knees.

_"Ah, so you're the missing Fraldarius brat. Oh yes, I can see into your heart, little boy. So you lost your brother and then ran away from home because you can't stand your father's idea of chivalry. How cute."_

"Shut… up…" he grated. "Get out of my head!"

_"Oh, don't worry, I'm not long for this world. You, however, are not so lucky. There are fates far worse than death, you know."_

"What are you… doing?"

_"You stole my life. In return, I will take away everything you hold dear!"_

The water in the nearby Lake Ninis suddenly surged and washed over him, grabbing him as if it were a living being. He thrashed against it, but the water pulled him deeper and deeper. His lungs screamed for air, his stomach churned, and the pain throbbing through his whole body morphed into searing agony. 

So, this was how he was going to die. Had he not been in a state of panic, he would have been disgusted with himself. As he was, though, he welcomed the ensuing blackness. Surely death was better than this pain.

At some point, sensation returned. His eyelids felt too heavy to open, so Felix explored using his other senses. He was splayed across a soft surface, and he felt the occasional brush of his hair against his face and shoulders. A constant dull sound filled his ears, seeming to come from all around him. The air flowing into his nose felt strangely thick and heavy, and something fluttered at his neck with a slow, steady rhythm. He stirred and flexed his legs, hoping the movement would help lift him out of this dreamlike fog, but instead he felt even stranger. His legs moved as if they were bound together, and however hard he tried, he could not separate them. In fact, they felt more like a single limb instead of two.

All at once, he remembered everything. The witch. The lake grabbing him. Drowning. His eyes snapped open, and he instantly realized he was at the bottom of Lake Ninis. And, against all logic, he was alive and breathing.

He instinctively gasped, suddenly extremely aware of the water flowing through his mouth and nose. It surged down his throat, where unfamiliar muscles reacted immediately and pushed it out the sides of his neck. Something fluttered outward along with the water before settling flush against his neck again. He instinctively touched the area and winced as his finger ran over three large, sensitive slits in his skin. Gills. Why the hell did he have gills?

A sinking feeling filled his stomach as his eyes drifted down to examine the rest of his body. Webbing stretched between his fingers much like a frog's toes, dark blue scales lined his arms and torso, and sharp black claws replaced his fingernails. His worst fears were confirmed when he looked at his legs―or rather, what used to be his legs. In their place, he now had a long, scaly navy blue tail ending in a single fin.

If that witch wasn't already dead she would instantly be at the top of his "To Kill" list, and even then he was considering bringing her back from the dead just to kill her again. 

He glared at the tail, revolted that such a monstrosity was now attached to his body. He had never been much of a swimmer, and now he was supposed to use this thing as if he were a damned fish. He pushed himself out of the mud he had landed in, and then he reluctantly focused on his new limb and gave it a tentative thrust. He felt the water's resistance on his tailfin and grimaced at the foreign sensation. Still, he had succeeded in propelling himself forward. Now that he had a grasp on how to move in this form, he made a beeline for the surface. He'd find some way to return to normal even if he had to drag himself everywhere.

When he reached the surface, however, he was shocked to discover he couldn't break through. Against all logic, the water refused to give way to air, behaving as if there were an invisible sheet draped over it. No matter how hard he pushed against it, the most the water would do was move upward slightly.

Felix was nothing if not stubborn, though, so he dove down a bit before charging at the surface as fast as he could. When he hit the barrier trapping him, it shoved him back down with equal force, sending him spinning head over tail. He did this over and over, but each time, the barrier held strong. In the end, his body gave out first and he sank.

Only now as he watched the surface drift farther and farther away did the full extent of the witch's curse dawn on him. She'd cut him off from everything he knew and loved. His body was all wrong, his home was now a prison, and not a soul knew he was here. As of now, Felix Hugo Fraldarius was dead to the world.

The witch hadn't been lying about there being fates worse than death. 

He landed in the silty lakebed, slowly digesting that he would have to live like a fish for the rest of his days unless he broke the curse. He grit his teeth and dug his fingers into the mud, swearing that he wouldn't let that witch have the last laugh. He'd break this curse or die trying.

That day felt like forever ago. How long had he been trapped in this goddess-forsaken lake? Despite countless hours attacking the barrier imprisoning him and scouring the lakebed for clues, he was no closer to a solution than when he started. Sheer stubbornness prevented him from giving up, but even he couldn't quell the fear that he'd be trapped here forever.

The only reason he hadn't given into despair was that people started visiting the lake after the witch's demise. Unfortunately, she had the forethought to account for this, as Felix quickly discovered that humans couldn't see or hear him. Even so, having some company other than fish and crustaceans was comforting. It gave him a connection to the world outside his prison, even if it was nothing more than the latest gossip. It was also a welcome source of entertainment. He admittedly got a little too much enjoyment out of scaring particularly annoying people by thumping the bottoms of their boats with his tail, but he couldn't bring himself to feel guilty over people who had the luxury to travel wherever they pleased.

His behavior earned Lake Ninis a bit of a reputation. The people whispered about how the witch's resentment still resided in the area or that the waters were cursed. They were so on the nose that Felix almost laughed. The rumors drove some people away, but other curious sorts came to investigate the lake in turn. Felix watched countless people come and go as the seasons cycled, but not one of them came close to uncovering the truth.

Some days brought few if any visitors. Today was one of those days, and all this reminiscing was a weak attempt to distract him from how dreadfully bored he was. He could only catch fish and test the limits of his speed and reflexes for so long before his body grew tired or his interest waned. He desperately needed a proper training ground. Fish and rocks made poor substitutes for training dummies.

He lay on the lakebed, tail drifting aimlessly behind him, and forcefully expelled water through his gills. Yet another reason to miss air: he couldn't huff properly as a half fish. The observation worsened his mood and he irritably flicked his tail. While he had grown used to his transformed body, he still hated it with every fiber of his being. He was in the middle of imagining plunging his sword into the witch's heart when a peculiar sound reached his ears, so sudden and out of place that it instantly captured his attention. Curious, he swam closer to it and strained his ears. He couldn't make out any words, but it was coming from somewhere beyond the lake shore. He followed the sound until the water grew too shallow for him to proceed any further. His body was now uncomfortably sandwiched between the rocks and the barrier, but he could finally make out the voice clearly.

_"Oh, this mountain of sweets, and treats that I long to eats! Oh, stacks of steaks and cakes and crumbs and yums!"_

A girl was cheerfully singing about… food? They were the most ridiculous lyrics he had ever heard, and yet he found them strangely endearing. Perhaps because his diet consisted almost exclusively of raw fish now. What he wouldn't give to have one of those steaks… If there really were stacks of them, no would notice if just one went missing, right?

The singing stopped after a little while, leaving Felix disappointed. While he would die before he admitted it aloud, he loved music, especially when it involved singing. His mother often sang to him before her untimely death, and while no one could match her voice, he still enjoyed listening to a good performance. Even during his travels as a mercenary, he couldn’t help but listen in when a traveling bard or musical troupe happened to be in the area. He hadn’t realized how much he missed it until now.

He continued eavesdropping in case the girl decided to start singing again, and he discovered that there were two girls, not one. They called each other "Annie" and "Mercie" and it sounded like they were having a picnic. That explained the food song, although he would argue steaks and cakes made for poor picnic food. The girls chatted as they ate, revealing bits and pieces about themselves. The two were very close friends, had attended the same school, and shared a love of baked goods, especially sweets.

Felix learned that Annie was the singer, and she was really bashful about singing. Based on how embarrassed she got after singing in front of her best friend, he guessed she would spontaneously combust if she knew he had been listening. For once, being invisible proved useful.

Eventually, the conversation's topic drifted to Lake Ninis itself.

"Do you think the rumors are true? That the lake is cursed?" Annie asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

"You would know more than me, Annie," Mercie replied. "Black magic is your specialty. Isn't that why you wanted to come here in the first place?"

"Well, yeah, but…" She paused for a moment. "What if the witch's vengeful ghost pops out?"

 _She'd have to get through me, first,_ Felix thought, growling softly.

"I don't think there's any danger of that happening," said Mercie. "Lots of other mages have scanned the lake and nothing happened."

"I know," Annie sighed. "As far as the Kingdom is concerned, this is a fool's errand. All official reports state that it's an ordinary lake. But I can't help but think they're all missing something. If there really was nothing here, there wouldn't be so many rumors still circulating."

"That's true," Mercie hummed. "Like how sightings of Duke Fraldarius's son dropped off about five years ago."

A rock dropped into Felix's stomach. While he had watched the seasons cycle multiple times, hearing out loud that _five years_ had passed since his imprisonment sent him reeling.

"Yes! Exactly!" Annie exclaimed. "It pretty much confirmed that he was dead. Although, no one ever found a body… It's a bit spooky."

"It makes for a good story, though. Imagine… A ghost seeking a body that no longer exists. Wandering the world forever in search of what it lost."

"Mercie, stop that!" Annie shrieked. "The last thing I want is more ghosts!"

Mercie giggled. "Sorry, Annie. I didn't mean to upset you. If any ghosts do show up, though, I'll take care of them for you."

"Thanks, Mercie. You're the best."

Annie took a small wooden rowboat out to the middle of the lake to perform the scanning spell while Mercie stayed on shore. Felix followed Annie, glad to no longer have rocks digging into his chest. Annie hummed as she rowed, and he enjoyed her humming almost as much as her singing.

The boat came to a stop and Felix patiently waited for Annie to cast the spell. He'd seen this process many times before, and he already knew the spell couldn't detect him―the witch's curse rendered him invisible to magical detection. Still, he couldn't help but stay close to Annie. Maybe she would sing again, or―

He heard a scream followed by a loud splash, and suddenly the girl was in the water. His body moved before his head could catch up, and the next thing he knew, his hands were pressed against Annie's back, pushing her towards the surface. She grabbed onto the overturned rowboat and coughed a few times, shaken but otherwise unharmed.

Only now did the gravity of what he had done crash down on him. _He'd touched her._ He'd discovered long ago that touch was the one sense that the curse did not affect, but it made no difference: people became frightened when something they could not see or hear touched them. And now he'd touched a girl who was clearly terrified of ghosts. There was no chance he'd ever see her again.

His thoughts surprised him. He wanted to see her again, or at the very least, hear her sing again. And like an idiot, he'd ruined everything. 

"Annie! Are you alright?" Mercie called.

"I'm fine! I just lost my balance!" Annie yelled back. Then, in a much softer voice, she grumbled, "Stupid seat… How'd you get in the way of my foot?"

The now very wet and very upset Annie kicked her way back to shore, still clinging to the boat. Felix watched her go with a heavy heart. He couldn't bring himself to eavesdrop anymore, so he sank back down to the lake's depths and curled up on himself. He'd scared off the first person who'd managed to make him feel some semblance of happiness after all these years, and he only had himself to blame.

When he finally lifted his head from his arms, a sparkle in the lakebed caught his eye. He curiously approached it and picked it out of the silt. It looked to be a hairpin with a small white metal flower attached to it. 

_This must belong to her. She must've dropped it when she fell._

He felt a little spark of hope in his heart. If Annie realized she lost this, she might come back to look for it. If not… Well, he had something to remember her by. Either way, he'd keep the hairpin for now. It was safer with him than lying in the middle of the lake where an unsuspecting fish might swallow it.

When darkness covered Lake Ninis, he fell asleep holding the hairpin to his heart while Annie's steaks and cakes song rang in his head.


	2. Discovery

Annette was an absolute wreck.

She paced around her room, tugging her hair and muttering fervently to herself. Of all the disasters she had caused, this was by far the worst.

It was bad enough that she had made a fool out of herself in front of Mercedes by falling overboard, but she had gone and lost her favorite hairpin, too. It had been a gift from Mercedes from when they both attended the Royal School of Sorcery and she wore it almost every day. She hadn't noticed it was missing until Mercedes pointed it out on their way home from Lake Ninis, and by then it was too dark to go back and search for it. Annette had endlessly apologized to Mercedes for losing the hairpin, and while Mercie―bless her heart―had forgiven her and said it wasn't a big deal, Annette knew the only way to make it up to her was go back to the lake and recover it. 

Except the idea of going back there terrified her. When she fell into the water, she had felt _hands_ on her back for a moment. They pushed her to the surface and vanished as suddenly as they came. Once she shook the water out of her eyes, she searched all around her for another person, but saw nothing. Even after she successfully cast her scanning spell and found nothing unusual, there was no mistaking what she felt. A ghost was haunting Lake Ninis.

She'd been too scared to tell Mercedes about it. Knowing her friend's love of ghost stories, there was no way she'd get any sleep for days afterward if she had revealed what happened. Not that she was sleeping well as she was, but still.

The one thing she couldn't figure out was that the ghost seemed to _help_ her. She would have expected it to drag her down and torment her until she passed out from terror or lack of air. Yet it had done the opposite, and it didn't touch her again once her head was above water. It made no sense to her. Ghosts by definition were not friendly.

She flopped onto her bed with a groan and buried her face into her pillow. No matter how she looked at it, she was going to have to go back there. Her conscience wouldn't let her rest until her hairpin was safely back in her possession. She hoped her professors wouldn't be too upset with her for taking an extra day or two off.

Lake Ninis was a three day ride from the Dominic barony. Thankfully, she needed to make only a slight detour from her normal route between her family's home and the School of Sorcery in Fhirdiad, where she was currently studying to become a teacher. Countless unsavory rumors surrounded the lake, which was understandable since it was home to a fearsome witch until several years ago. Reportedly, a mysterious young mercenary set out to kill her. Locals eventually confirmed the witch's death, but no one ever saw the mercenary again. On top of that, many people visiting the lake reported feeling like they were being watched, and some even claimed that their boats occasionally shook as if hit by a wave even when the waters were as still as glass. Wild speculation and rumors circulated to this very day, and as a result, most people avoided the lake. 

Annette was not like most people, though. She strived for excellence in everything she did, sometimes to the point of neglecting her health. She'd suffered many lectures from Mercedes and her professors about pushing herself too hard, but old habits were hard to break. Not only that, the hairpin was one of her most precious belongings, and she didn't feel right going out without having it tucked her hair.

Annette arrived at Lake Ninis early in the morning on her fourth day of travel. Sunlight glittered on the water's surface, its beauty belying the frightening secret hidden in the depths. She gulped before dismounting her horse and tying it to a tree. She made a beeline towards the area where she and Mercedes had their picnic, deciding to retrace her steps from there. She combed the area thoroughly, keeping an eye out for anything that sparkled.

As she crawled around the grass and mud, a new song popped into her head. She chewed her lip. She really wanted to sing it, but she didn't want the ghost to hear her. Come to think of it, had it heard her the last time she sang here? It hadn't bothered her until she fell into the lake, so it either had been spying on her or hadn't heard her at all. There was no way to know, so she glared at the lake and hissed, "You're _evil_ , ghostie."

Her cheeks flushed at the thought that she had an audience other than Mercedes that day. Even though she loved making up songs and singing them, she only did it when she was alone or occasionally with Mercedes. Her lyrics were impromptu and often silly or ridiculous, but she had so much fun that she didn't care as long as no one heard her. 

And now a ghost had potentially heard her singing some silly food song she had made up. Just her luck. Why couldn't she have chosen something less embarrassing? The ghost had probably laughed at her in its spooky, ghostly way.

"What a silly human," it probably said. "She has the funniest ideas about food!"

Annette covered her face with her hands. At this rate, she was going to die of embarrassment. The only thing that kept her from turning tail and running away was that she still needed to find her hairpin. She gave the lake another fierce glare and resumed her search.

She searched until the sun was high in the sky and her traveling dress was covered in mud, grass, and stains, but she found no sign of her precious hairpin. Her heart sank. If it was nowhere on shore, that meant one of two things. Either a person or animal had made off with it, or it had sank to the bottom of the lake when she had fallen in. Either way, it was lost forever.

Annette sniffled and furiously wiped her stinging eyes, but the tears flowed anyway. She knew crying over something as trivial as a hairpin was childish, but she couldn't help herself. That hairpin held so many memories that losing it was almost like losing a part of herself.

"It's all my fault," she sobbed. "Why do I always have to mess everything up?"

She continued to cry, too upset to care if anyone saw her anymore. She only stopped when she heard a splash over her sobs. Startled, she whipped her head left and right, but she was still alone. When her gaze settled on the shore in front of her, her mouth fell open.

A fish was flopping on the shore. How did it get there? The weather today was clear and calm, and there were no signs of any animals that could have dragged it onto the beach. Feeling curious and a little sorry for the creature, Annette approached it so she could put it back in the water. Just as she bent over to pick the fish up, she saw something sparkle in the water and gasped.

Laying in the shallows amongst the rocks was her hairpin.

Tears streamed down her face again as she snatched the hairpin and clutched it to her chest. She mumbled her thanks to both the goddess and the fish for helping her finally find it before releasing the fish in the lake as she intended.

After she calmed down and ensured the hairpin was secured in her hair, she couldn't help but think about how convenient it was that the fish happened to wash up so close to where her hairpin was. It could have been a coincidence or even a miracle from the goddess, but the more she thought about it, the more it felt like a setup. She was pretty sure she had checked around that area before and found nothing. Moreover, no natural force could have beached that fish. Something had put the fish there to draw her attention, and that same something must have found her hairpin, knew it belonged to her, and went through all this trouble to return it.

She had a pretty good idea as to what the something was.

"HEY! GHOSTIE!" she yelled. "I don't know why you decided to help me, but thank you!"

Silence answered her and she frowned. It had been spying on her all this time, so couldn’t it at least have the decency to acknowledge her when she addressed it? Nothing this ghost did made sense. Come to think of it, it didn't return her hairpin until she started crying even though she had been here all day. If it wanted to be cruel to her, it could have tormented her in countless other ways, but it instead ignored her. It was almost like it didn't know she was here until it heard her voice.

_Wait…_

The ghost had only touched her when she plummeted below the lake's surface. It sounded crazy, but was it possible that the ghost simply couldn't leave the water?

Annette swallowed. She couldn’t believe what she was about to do, but she had to know. She removed her boots, gloves, and stockings and left them in the grass before wading into the shallows, her heart pounding all the while. She winced at the rocks digging into her bare feet but kept going until the water reached her knees. She crouched down, ignoring her now soaked dress, and extended her hand under the water.

“I know you’re there,” she declared, making sure her voice was loud enough to echo around the whole lake. “You don’t have to keep hiding. I admit I’m still scared, but you don’t seem bad for a ghost. And I would like to meet the one who helped me. So, if you don’t mind, could you please come out?”

For a few moments, nothing happened. Annette held still, hoping she hadn't scared the ghost off. She almost snorted at the irony. Just as she was about to give up, she felt a hand gently grasp her own. She gasped as lightning raced up her arm and down her spine, and in that split second, she realized three things.

First, this hand belonged to neither a ghost nor a human. It was too warm to be dead, but the sharp claws grazing her skin and the webbing she felt between its fingers were decidedly monstrous. She wasn't sure what this creature was, but discovering that it was a living being relieved her immensely. Unlike ghosts, she could handle beasties.

Second, she could feel immensely powerful and complex magic woven around the being's hand. It clung to the beastie like a second skin and constricted even tighter when she probed it. It was ugly and disgusting, and Annette wanted to grab it and rip it off. She couldn't understand how a spell this strong evaded common magical detection. Whoever cast it had magical ability beyond compare.

Finally, and most alarmingly, Annette found that she liked holding this beastie's hand. Despite the physical and magical horrors attached to it, its grip was exceedingly gentle, or at least as gentle as a hand with long, sharp claws could be. Though it didn't make a sound, the message was clear: it didn't want to hurt her.

All of these thoughts and sensations collided and tangled in Annette’s brain. She had so many things she wanted to say, but in her struggle to sort everything out, she blurted the first thing that came to mind.

“You’re real.”

She regretted the words as soon as they left her tongue. Goddess, could she sound more stupid? Hoping to save face, she continued, “I mean, I knew you were real before, but it just now sunk in that you’re a living being and not a ghost. Not that that’s a bad thing, because I thought you were a really nice ghost, but it’s just good to know for sure!”

She forced a laugh to distract herself from her flaming face. As it turned out, she could sound more stupid. She needed to end this conversation before she made herself look like an even bigger fool.

"Anyway, I don't know who or what you are, but I'm really grateful that you found my hairpin. And thanks for pushing me out of the water before."

She gasped again when the beastie shifted its grip and began tracing shapes into her palm with its finger. She stared in confusion for a few moments before she realized the shapes were letters.

_B-E-M-O-R-E-C-A-R-E-F-U-L-N-E-X-T-T-I-M-E_

"Be… more… careful… next… time?" She scowled at the completed message. "You think I don't know that? And how do you know how to write Fódlan's language? Just what are you?"

It traced more letters into her skin. _I was cursed._

"You were cursed? So that's why you have such strong magic bound to your body. I've never seen a spell like this before. Do you mind if I look at it for a bit? It's the least I can do after you helped me."

_Go ahead._

Annette closed her eyes and focused on the magic surrounding the beastie's hand. Once again, she was awestruck by how _horrible_ the curse was. A mixture of powerful spells were woven together into a complex pattern and then wrapped so tightly around the beastie's body that they were almost fused with its skin. They reminded Annette of iron chains and she desperately wished she could tear them off.

She examined the curse more closely to determine what specific spells were woven into it. She recognized some of the glyphs, but she had never seen them used in these patterns before. Based on what she remembered from her studies, she conjectured that some of the spells were meant to bind the beastie somehow, while others were meant to conceal it.

In the end, she was unable to identify any of the spells, but she had a good idea of what most of them were meant to do based on the glyphs she was familiar with. A group of concealing spells ensured the beastie couldn’t be detected by sight, sound, or magic, while another spell was designed to produce a barrier of some sort. Annette lifted the creature’s hand to test her idea of what the barrier was for, and sure enough, she could not remove it from the water. She gaped watching the water's surface poke upward as if it were a bedsheet rather than a liquid. She never imagined such magic was possible.

Annette's heart ached for the beastie. She had been right when she likened the curse threads to iron chains: this curse was clearly designed to imprison its victim in the lake and prevent it from ever being found. What she didn't understand was why. What did this poor creature do to become ensnared by such a horrible curse?

"How did this happen to you?" she asked.

The beastie was still for a few moments. Then it wrote, _I pissed off a witch._

"A witch?" Annette repeated. "You mean the witch that used to live around here? But she died years ago― Oh."

She paled as she realized that this beastie had been suffering from the curse for _years_. Until today, it had lived here all alone, completely cut off from the rest of the world. The thought of all those years of isolation made Annette want to hug her new companion, but she settled for squeezing its hand in a comforting manner.

"I'll fix this," she vowed. "I won't let you suffer anymore. I'll figure out how to lift this curse, even if it takes the rest of my life."

Even as she spoke, she knew she was in over her head. She had never seen magic this advanced and complex, and she had never tried lifting a curse before. However, Annette Fantine Dominic was not one to back down from a magical challenge. Her pride as a mage would be tarnished if she gave up without trying. 

Moreover, she wanted to see this creature again. Not only did she want to repay it for returning her hairpin, she couldn't stand the thought of it living alone for the rest of its life. Even if she failed to break the curse, she at least wanted to give it some company. It deserved that much.

The beastie drew three letters on her palm. _Why?_

"Why? Because I want to, that's why!" Annette replied. "Did you really expect me to abandon you after learning you were cursed? No one deserves to be trapped in a lake forever."

_I could be a monster._

"If you really were a monster, you wouldn't have told me that," she remarked. "Besides, you helped me when I was in trouble. No monster would've done that."

_You should still be wary of strangers._

Annette smiled. The beastie had an interesting way of showing concern, but it was sweet nonetheless. "Thanks, but you've already shown that you're trustworthy. I don't like that you were spying on me, but you never tried to hurt me. I don't consider you a stranger anymore. Ack! I just realized I've been talking all this time and never introduced myself! I'm sorry for being so scatterbrained. I'm Annette. Do you have a name?"

When it didn't respond, Annette wondered if she had crossed a line. Maybe it didn't feel comfortable answering. She was about to retract her question when she felt its finger trace her palm again.

_Felix._

"Felix?" she repeated. The name sounded strangely familiar. She had never met anyone named Felix before, so where had she heard it? She thought for a moment before the answer dawned on her. Duke Fraldarius's younger son was named Felix. He had caused a huge uproar in the Kingdom when he ran away from home shortly after his older brother Glenn died protecting the crown prince. Duke Fraldarius ordered a massive search for his missing son, and many people came forward claiming to have seen the boy. However, every lead turned up cold, and around five years ago the sightings stopped altogether except for the occasional con artist hoping for easy gold. Once that happened, Felix was presumed dead.

How curious that this mysterious cursed lake beastie had the same name as a long dead Fraldarius heir. Surely it was just a coincidence, but it was still unsettling. Annette decided not to think about it too much. She'd already mistaken this Felix for a ghost once, and she didn't want to associate with the dead any longer.

"Based on that name, I'm guessing you're a male," she said instead. "But if I'm wrong, please let me know."

It couldn't hurt to be sure, especially when she didn't know what Felix looked like. It might not even have the same gender concepts as humans. When Felix didn't answer right away, Annette winced, belatedly realizing that she could have phrased her inquiry better. She opened her mouth to apologize for being presumptuous when she felt its clawed finger sketch _Yes, I am a male_ on her palm.

Glad to have the matter settled, Annette plowed onward. "There's so much more I want to ask you, but I'm afraid I don't have the time. I have to start heading back to Fhirdiad before nightfall. You see, I didn't pack enough food for an extended stay here. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can. I'm sure I can convince the other mages that I'm on a research trip, and it wouldn't exactly be a lie, either. Oh, there I go rambling again. I'd better leave before I go on another tangent. See you later, Felix."

She reluctantly removed her hand from his and stood up straight, grunting at the pain in her knees and feet. She'd crouched in the rocky shallows for far too long. She would have to figure out a different way to communicate with Felix, because she didn't want to wind up with lingering aches after every visit. If she couldn't, though, she would put up with the pain. It was minor compared to what Felix had experienced.

Once back on dry land, she wrung the water out of her soaked dress and dried off as best as she could before she put her stockings, boots, and gloves back on. Her clothes still clung to her uncomfortably, but there was nothing more she could do except stand in the sun to help them dry out. She made a mental note to bring clothes better suited for the water next time.

 _Next time…_ She glanced back at Lake Ninis wistfully. Once again, it showed no signs of anything unusual lurking within its depths. Had she not fallen in, she likely never would have found Felix. He very well might have spent the rest of his life alone if not for her random bout of clumsiness.

She firmly pushed that thought away as she climbed onto her horse. Now wasn't the time to think about what-ifs. She had a job to do. A determined frown crossed her face and she urged her horse on, but she couldn't help but look back one last time. _Hang in there, Felix. I'll be back soon._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I wound up finishing another chapter of this fic before the end of May, and with all the awful things happening in the world right now, I decided to release one more chapter for your enjoyment. I understand a lot of what's happening is very important, but sometimes you just need a bit of relief from the heavy stuff. I certainly did. I have no idea when I'll update again, but maybe I'll at least be able to keep a one chapter per month writing pace.
> 
> Stay safe, everyone!


	3. Mistake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm... I'm in absolute awe at the positive response this fic has gotten. I want to emphasize that I made this for entirely self-indulgent purposes. It's corny to the point where I am outright cringing and getting embarrassed at my own writing at some parts. But people seem to be rolling with it, and I'm really happy about that.
> 
> There's even [two](https://heatherica45.tumblr.com/post/620857152298434560/soooooo-i-read-i-really-good-fic-for-felix-and) [fanarts](https://twitter.com/Erica4518/status/1276623829666840580?s=19) of it now! I never thought I'd see the day where my work would move someone so much that they'd make art of it. It's really humbling.
> 
> I've actually been on quite a roll with my writing for the past week and a half or so, so I have another chapter ready here! I don't know how long I'll be able to keep this up, but I'll keep aiming for writing one new chapter a month and updating this as I go along.

Felix stared at his hand, still not believing that what he experienced was real.

Several days had passed since he returned Annie's―no, _Annette’s_ hairpin and he still hadn’t accepted that it really happened. Not only was Annette not afraid of him, she also promised to come back and help break his curse. It was too good to be true. He kept thinking he would wake up one day and discover that everything had been a dream.

He'd had similar experiences before. He sometimes dreamed of being human again, only to be cruelly reminded of his curse when he awoke back in his watery prison. Occasionally, the dreams were so vivid that his drowsy mind would try to move his legs after he awoke. His tail would twitch awkwardly in response and he'd feel his heart sink as he remembered that this was his reality.

The only proof he had was that he no longer had the hairpin, but even then, he didn’t dare get his hopes up. No matter how much he wanted to believe his exchange with Annette was real, he couldn't bring himself to. He was sick of being disappointed.

If that day was a dream, though, it was more vivid than any he'd had before. Her face was as clear in his memory as the song that refused to leave his head. Though she could not see him, her blue eyes still shined with fondness as she smiled and thanked him for returning her hairpin. Her bright orange hair spilled over her shoulders and still managed to suit her despite being tangled and dirty from her search. And when he grasped her small hand, she didn't flinch at his webbed fingers or his claws.

He couldn’t believe how quickly she became at ease with him once she realized he was not a ghost. It bothered him a little. He could’ve easily taken advantage of her trust if he wanted to, and he tried to convey that through his limited means of communication, but she brushed him off. Of course, she was right, and he would never deliberately hurt her, but he would've thought she'd exercise at least a little more caution around something she couldn't see.

She'd even told him her name and asked for his in return. At first, he wasn't sure how to answer her, or even if he should. He had no idea how Annette would react if she found out she had been talking to someone who she thought had died years ago. The last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable, or worse, drive her away. In the end, he decided to reveal his first name. Annette was smart and she would probably figure out the truth on her own, but for the time being, his discarded family name wouldn't weigh down her words or actions.

After that, she left, vanishing as quickly as she had dropped into his life. She promised to return as soon as she could, but there was no telling how long that would be, and there was still the possibility that he dreamed the whole thing up. As a result, Felix returned to his usual routine of merely existing, but with one major change: that song about steaks and cakes kept playing in his head.

The song wasn’t unwelcome, as it improved his mood during those long, dull days where he had nothing to do, but it made him realize that he really wanted to hear Annette sing again. It left him in an awkward position. Even if he saw her again, she would never sing knowing he was listening.

Thus, the days passed with him suppressing his longing for yet another thing he could not have. The tedium only broke one night when he heard a voice calling his name. At first, he thought he was imagining things, especially since he had been moments away from drifting off to sleep. However, the voice called for him again, louder and more insistently. His eyes flew open and his heart leapt into his throat.

It was her.

Felix's tail launched him through the water faster than he ever thought possible. In no time, he spotted a silhouette standing in the shallows. As he drew closer, the moonlight revealed that his ears were not mistaken. Annette had returned.

A surge of emotions swept over him like an ocean wave: shock, disbelief, excitement, but most of all, relief. He was so overwhelmed that he almost forgot to take her proffered hand so she could know he was there. The moment their hands touched, he again felt a pleasant tingle travel up his arm and down to the tip of his tail. He didn't understand it, but it happened the last time he'd held her hand, so he assumed her magic was reacting to his curse somehow.

“There you are!” Annette exclaimed, and his stomach did a funny little flip at how happy she sounded. “I’m sorry I took so long. I got roped back into studying the moment I got back home, and before I knew it, more than a moon had passed! I had to practically beg for another chance to travel all the way out here. It wasn’t easy, but I convinced my professors to let me stay here for a week for a research study. I know it's not much, but it's the best I could manage.”

Her face fell and Felix found that he did not like that expression on her. He wanted to cheer her up, but he was never good with words, especially words of comfort. His curse only made the matter worse by limiting him to written communication. Ultimately, he decided he couldn't just float there and do nothing, so he wrote, _Stop worrying so much._

"I can't help it!" she cried. "Ever since I left, I haven't been able to stop thinking about how you've been trapped here _alone_. I'm the only person who even knows you exist. It's not right. You shouldn't have to live like this."

Her words left Felix dumbstruck. All this time, she had been concerned for his well-being. He didn't know how to feel about it. On one hand, it was gratifying to finally have someone else aware of his situation and agree that it was awful. On the other hand, it was clear Annette had too big of a heart for her own good. If she got this worked up over him when all she knew about him was that he was a cursed lake monster, he wondered how she functioned when someone close to her got into trouble.

 _I manage,_ he wrote in an effort to ease her worries. It was true, after all.

"You shouldn't have to," she replied with a shake of her head. "I don't know what you did to anger the witch, but it shouldn't have warranted such an awful curse."

Felix realized that he never told her that he had killed the witch, not just angered her. He decided to come clean, if only to prevent further misunderstandings. When he finished tracing the final letter, Annette's mouth fell open.

"Wait, it was _you_ who did it?! But I thought... Huh. That explains a lot, actually. So, am I right to assume you were the mercenary who disappeared?"

_Yes._

She smiled sadly. "So, you _were_ human before. I suspected as much, since you'd have to have lived with humans at some point in order to know how to write our language. But…" She squeezed his hand. "That makes it even worse! I don't think I could stand a day in your position, let alone five years!"

Felix didn't know how to respond to that, but Annette saved him from answering when she continued unprompted.

"I've heard tales of very powerful sorcerers who, when faced with certain death, infuse their souls into one final spell in order to take their enemies down with them. Doing so increases the spell's potency a hundredfold or more. The witch must have used that technique with her dying breath. It would explain why this curse is so powerful." She paused and ran a finger across the back of his hand, and he had to suppress a shudder. "She must have really hated you. She easily could have killed you using that technique, but she decided to make you suffer instead. I can't imagine how hard these past five years must have been for you."

 _They were awful,_ he answered. He couldn't bring himself to add _at least until I heard you sing._

"I'm so sorry," Annette whispered. "I promise I'm gonna do my best to break this curse. But it's late now, and you're probably tired, so we should both get some sleep. I probably should have waited until tomorrow to call you, but I just couldn't wait to see you again. I didn't wake you up, did I?"

He wouldn't have minded if she had, but he kept his response to a simple _No_.

"Good," she said, sounding relieved. "I'll see you in the morning, then. Good night, Felix."

She released him and exited the water, presumably headed to wherever she had set up camp for the night. He needed to do the same thing, so he dove back down to the bottom of the lake and settled himself in the silt until he was comfortable. He still missed having a bedroll, but sleeping underwater took the least amount of time to get used to following his transformation. He had slept in the dirt numerous times in his days as a mercenary, and the silty lakebed was far more comfortable than the rock littered soils he’d bedded on in the past. The pressure at this depth would be harmful or even fatal to a human, but his half-fish body found it comforting, as if a thick blanket was draped over him. Compared to the curse's other aspects, this wasn't so bad. He closed his eyes, and in no time, he drifted off to sleep.

Waking up was a less pleasant affair. Felix whined softly at the faint morning sunlight that tried to coax him from his dreams. He stubbornly turned away, latching onto the faint sound of Annette's voice that still rang in his ears. He couldn't understand her words, but he didn't want the dream to end. Despite his best efforts, the sun still dragged him into consciousness, and he grudgingly opened his eyes.

Dimly lit water, aquatic plants, and mud greeted him, but the song didn't stop. Felix lay there for a few moments before his groggy mind caught up and he bolted upright. He wasn't dreaming. Annette was really singing.

He followed her voice to shore, realizing that she must think he was still asleep. He knew he was being selfish by eavesdropping, but he couldn't help himself. Her voice had somehow ensnared him as much as the witch's curse had. He shuffled into the shallows to hear her more clearly, again ignoring the rocks digging into his body.

_"The birdies are chirping in the glow of the sun. Good morning, good morning to everyone!"_

How did she come up with songs about the most mundane things? Once again, the ridiculous yet charming lyrics engraved themselves into his memory. Did her magic somehow mix with her voice?

"Felix!"

He startled so much at his name being yelled that his head bounced off the barrier and smashed into the rocks. _Shit._

"YOU JERK!" Annette's voice was much closer and _much_ angrier now. "You were spying on me again!"

How did she know he was there? He backed away from shore, his jaw still smarting from where it hit the rocks, and he saw Annette's boots enter the water.

"I know what you're thinking: 'How did you know I was here?' Well, I didn't. I was actually yelling to wake you up, but you gave yourself away when the water moved. And of course, I was singing something stupid again… This is so embarrassing..."

Felix wished the curse didn’t render his voice useless so he could at least attempt to put in a word to defend himself. He was helpless to do anything as Annette paced through the shallows and continued to rant.

“I can’t believe this… How long were you listening? To think you’d use your own curse to spy on me… You’re a _villain_ , Felix!”

An awkward silence ensued while she waited for a response she would never hear. Eventually, she cleared her throat and said, "Oh, right. Forgot you can't speak. Well, that's just one more reason to break this curse. I've had enough of you sneaking up on me for a lifetime!"

Her boots left the water, but she returned a short time later with bare feet instead. She hissed something under her breath before saying, “I’m not killing my feet on the rocks again, so I’m going in deeper this time. I also need to examine where the curse is rooted in your body. It should give me more insight into how it works."

Her stiff movements betrayed her discomfort as she waded deeper into the water. She hissed again and shivered, and Felix wanted to hit himself for forgetting that the water was cold, especially this early in the morning. His body was adapted for this temperature, but Annette’s was not. Nonetheless, she powered through her shivering and stood neck deep in the water. She had changed her dress out for a simple shirt and rolled-up pants, which would not billow about as much in the water, but they were useless against the cold. Damn it all, she was going to get sick at this rate!

"Felix, I need you to hold still in front of me," she said, trying and failing to keep her voice from wavering.

What he needed to do was get her out of the water before she froze, but his curse rendered that impossible. Not only that, she was still angry with him, so his best option was to do as she instructed and hope she would finish her business quickly. The last thing he wanted was for her to struggle against him and prolong her time in the water.

He touched her arm to let her know he was in place. Annette asked him if he was ready, and after he traced his confirmation into her outstretched palm, she went straight to work. He stiffened as her hands roved over his skin, glowing with a pulsing golden light. He knew she could feel the scales scattered across his arms and chest. She did not touch his tail, but his stomach still twisted. Did she find him disgusting? Frightening?

He frowned. Why did he care about what she thought about him?

Annette's hands eventually settled over his heart. The light pulsed at a rate comparable to his thundering heartbeat, and she hummed affirmatively. "I suspected as much. The heart is a popular target for spells for its central location and because it is connected to the rest of the body. If you don't mind, I'd like to examine it a b-bit more."

Her teeth were chattering now, but she still acted like the cold wasn't bothering her. Felix racked his brain for a way to warm her up aside from tossing her back on land, which definitely wouldn't end well. Unfortunately, he was the warmest thing in this damned lake, and that was saying something.

A tiny voice in his head whispered an incredibly foolish idea that he refused to entertain because that would absolutely be crossing a boundary and he did not want to give Annette another excuse to be angry with him. Instead, he stayed put and traced his consent on her arm. She nodded and the golden light changed to a pale blue as she focused on the curse.

Annette's shivering did not cease despite her trance, and Felix's tailfin twitched more and more with each passing second. How much longer was this going to take? All of his instincts were screaming at him to take action, but he forced himself to stay still. No matter how much that little voice pestered him, he could not and would not do something Annette would see as untoward.

Then she sneezed, and Felix could hold back no longer.

He crossed the space between them in an instant and threw his arms around her. Annette squeaked in surprise, and he prayed she would forgive him later. Right now, he was more concerned with getting her warm. He rubbed her arms with his hands, being careful to not accidentally scratch her with his claws.

"F-Felix! What are you―"

 _You're cold,_ he wrote on her arm as she spluttered.

"I'm not c-c-cold!" she yelled, but her quavering voice betrayed her. "Let me go already! I wasn't f-f-finished!"

 _Finish later,_ he wrote insistently.

"You… You… You VILLAIN!"

As he feared, she was livid. She shoved him away and he released her without a fight because he was frankly ashamed of himself. That idea was something Sylvain would have come up with and he went through with it anyway. That idiot must have rubbed off on him more than he released.

It didn't matter, though. He'd made himself look like an asshole in front of Annette yet _again._ At this point, he wouldn't be surprised if she wanted nothing to do with him anymore, and that thought made him feel even more monstrous than he looked. He shrunk back and watched as she stomped away. At least he managed to get her out of the water, he mused bitterly. He sighed through his gills and dove back down to the lakebed. If he was going to be a monster, he might as well live like one: alone.

Felix Hugo Fraldarius, the lone wolf. That was all he was and all he ever would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felix: *tries to do something nice but effs it up*  
> Annette: *gets mad*  
> Early Felannie in a nutshell.


	4. A Song to Say "I'm Sorry"

Annette took a big bite out of her cinnamon bun and sighed. She'd wasted three days and she still couldn't figure out how to make up with Felix. Well, "wasted" wasn't entirely accurate, as she had spent the majority of that time studying over everything she had gleaned from his curse. She had filled thirty pages with notes, give or take. The issue was that she had no idea how to confront Felix again after parting on such bad terms with him.

She still felt a righteous anger about the whole thing. Felix had no right to spy on her like a creep, and he _especially_ had no right to embrace her out of the blue like that. Just the memory of the experience made her face burn. Felix had insisted that he was just trying to warm her up, and to be fair, he had let her go the instant she put up a fight, but that was still incredibly rude of him. 

Then again, the water had been _freezing_ that morning, and she would be lying if she said that she didn’t welcome Felix’s warmth. While he wasn't as warm as a human, his body heat cut through the cold surrounding her like the first warm spring day after a long, bitter Faerghus winter. She had just been so flustered that she snapped at him. Even now she could clearly remember the feeling of lithe arms wrapped around her, broad webbed hands rubbing her bare skin, and a sturdy chest firmly pressed against her own. It was intimate, improper, and humiliating, and yet a tiny part of her had secretly liked it.

Looking back, she realized that had set her off more than anything. All this time, she had no idea what Felix looked like, only to find out in the worst way possible that his body was toned in a way that was disconcertingly attractive. Even if he used to be human, a lake beastie had no business feeling so comfortable to lie against. For Seiros’s sake, he had claws and scales! And yet for some reason she couldn't explain, neither of those things bothered her.

In the end, Annette decided that she couldn’t fault Felix for the sudden embrace. If he was really that kind of person, he could have dragged her against him during any of the times she had been in the water. It still wasn’t proper, but the more she thought about it, the more certain she felt that he really had been trying to keep her warm. Besides, anyone would be touch-starved after spending five years cut off from human contact, so she couldn’t blame him for being clingy. He wasn’t off the hook for spying on her singing, though.

That led her to now, sitting in front of a campfire in the dead of night while stress eating the sweets Mercie had baked for her and poring over her notes. She had made remarkable progress considering that she still hadn’t finished recording all of the curse’s glyphs and formulas, and she was already coming up with potential counterspells. She had no chance of lifting the curse entirely, but she was pretty sure she could counteract specific elements of it, at least temporarily. Her priority right now was reversing the invisibility spell. If she could see Felix, then she wouldn’t have to worry about him sneaking up on her as much, and it would make meeting him much easier.

If only she could work up the courage to face him again.

Logically, she knew that all she had to do was talk to him. Surely Felix would understand if she stayed calm and explained why she had reacted the way she did. Every time she considered calling for him, though, she would remember the way his arms felt around her and become too flustered to go through with it. It was pathetic. She put so much effort into getting time off to see Felix, and now she was avoiding him because she couldn't control her feelings.

So she dove into the numbers, glyphs, formulas, and theorems of black magic because unlike feelings, they held structure and logic and made _sense_. Even the most complex magical formulas could be unraveled and deciphered once they were broken down into their base components. She wished that rude yet strangely kind lake beasties were as simple to deal with.

She stuffed the rest of her cinnamon bun into her mouth, finished penning her formula, and scrutinized her work for any mistakes. In theory, this spell would suppress the invisibility curse, but there was no telling what would happen in practice. Casting black magic without knowing all the variables was extremely dangerous because the glyphs could react in unpredictable ways. Annette had read countless stories of careless mages who lost their lives to sudden explosions, having their bodies twisted beyond recognition, or even losing all sense of who they were. 

To minimize the risk of magical mishaps, she would have to take several precautions. First, she would have to ensure the spell only targeted the part of the curse it was meant to suppress. Second, the spell would have to be weak and temporary. The more complex and powerful a spell was, the more glyphs it included, and the more likely a hostile reaction could occur. Simple was safer. Finally, she would use a conduit to contain the spell rather than cast it directly on the curse. The conduit would give her greater control over how much the spells interacted, and she could easily pull it away if she saw any signs of the magic going awry.

There were just two problems in her way: finding a good conduit and making up with Felix. It was painfully clear that she couldn’t avoid him anymore without abandoning him altogether, and she could never bring herself to be that cruel, no matter how slighted she felt. Besides, she wasn’t one to leave a job unfinished.

Annette turned to look at Lake Ninis. She could clearly see the moon reflected on the surface even from her campsite a few dozen paces away from the shoreline. Given the late hour and the water's stillness, Felix was likely asleep.

She stood up and grabbed her bucket before approaching the lake. Her campfire was on its last legs, but extinguishing it manually was safer than letting it burn out on its own. She crouched by the shoreline and dipped her bucket into the water.

The surface rippled. Annette squinted, wondering if she was mistaken, but the disturbance moved toward her, while her bucket's ripples moved away from her. "Felix? Is that you?"

She watched the water for a couple minutes, but nothing happened. She chewed her lip. Maybe it was just a stray fish, but the timing seemed a little too coincidental. Was Felix just as restless as she was?

There was only one way to find out.

Annette felt her cheeks grow hot at her idea, but it had proven effective at drawing Felix out before. She set her bucket aside, placed her hands in the water, and began to sing.

_"Scary swamp beasties, slinking through the slime. Scales and teeth and colored like lime. Never seen by people above, for the water and mud is what they love."_

She chose the swamp beastie song because it was less embarrassing than singing about food or birdies. Nonetheless, it took all her willpower to keep singing while she formed her glyphs. Using the water as her conduit was risky since she couldn't remove it from Felix, but as long as she kept her spell weak, she believed the water's large volume would dilute the magic to the point that any reactions would be minimal.

She finished the spell but kept singing as she stood up and watched the magic spread through the water. Her eyes scanned the lake for any signs that her spell was working. It was possible her magic had diluted to the point where nothing would happen, but she didn't want to increase the chances of harming Felix. 

After what felt like an eternity, she spotted movement in the water not far from where she stood. Her voice cracked but she quickly recovered and continued to sing, hoping her slip-up wasn't too obvious. The moving water darkened into a faint image, and Annette could barely hear her voice over the sound of her heart thundering in her ears.

She didn't know what to expect once her spell took effect, but it certainly wasn't this. For a lake beastie, Felix was decidedly not scary. In fact, she was shocked by how _human_ he looked. She couldn't make out any details, but his torso, arms, and head were all humanlike. He even had dark hair that drifted lazily around his head. The familiarity ended at his waist, however, for instead of legs he had a long tail that looked like it belonged on a fish, and it slowly swayed back and forth.

A half-human and half-fish creature sounded bizarre in her head, but the being in front of her had a strange, almost ethereal beauty. Annette found that she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. She was so distracted, in fact, that she didn't realize she had stopped singing until Felix pushed himself off the lakebed and began to swim away.

"Wait!" she cried, holding out her hand as if it had the power to stop him.

Felix's body went stiff at the sound of her voice. He turned slowly until the two dark blobs that she assumed were his eyes landed on her. Too late, Annette realized she had made a terrible mistake. Before she could say another word, Felix darted out of her sight.

Annette buried her face in her hands. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Of course Felix would think she was still mad at him, and she had blown up on him the last time she caught him listening to her singing. Now she had driven him off without having a chance to apologize or explain herself.

Somehow, she had to fix this, but how could she speak to Felix when he was avoiding her as much as she had been avoiding him? With a sigh, she picked up her bucket and trudged back to her camp. She extinguished the smoldering remains of her campfire before pondering what to do next. Now that her adrenaline had worn off, she could feel exhaustion setting in. She supposed it wouldn't hurt to rest her aching eyes for just a moment.

The next thing she became aware of was the feeling of grass against her cheek and hard ground beneath her. She opened her eyes and sat up with a start as she realized it was morning. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but she must have been more tired than she thought. To make matters worse, she was stiff from sleeping on the ground all night. Simply put, she felt terrible.

After stretching the kinks out of her body, Annette made a quick breakfast out of one of Mercie's muffins and tended to her horse. She then turned to look at the lake and grimaced when she saw that there were a few people out fishing today. This wasn't unusual―she'd seen several fisherman and other visitors over the course of her stay―but the timing was unfortunate. Even if she had a plan to draw Felix out, she wouldn't be able to act on it now. Aside from Mercedes, she had not told anyone about Felix. If people realized the supposedly cursed Lake Ninis contained a monster, then Felix's life would be in danger. She had no choice but to break his curse on her own.

Since her hands were tied, she passed the time by reviewing her formulas again. One could never be too careful when casting black magic. She had admittedly been reckless when she cast her counterspell before. Although nothing went wrong and she had taken every precaution to minimize risk, black magic was still volatile and dangerous. Normally, she would never have dared to cast if she was unsure of the result. Then again, this was hardly the first time Felix had pushed her to do something she otherwise would never attempt.

Singing for him was another one of those things.

Her cheeks flushed as soon as the thought invaded her mind. She still couldn’t believe she had done that. Sleep deprivation must have muddled her judgement. Still, her singing had baited him out like she wanted. In fact, it worked even better than she imagined, since she hadn’t expected him to come so close after being caught before. Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t understand why Felix kept sneaking up on her while she sang. She wondered if he enjoyed making her uncomfortable, but then remembered the way he stiffened and bolted when she caught him red-handed. Their fight must have distressed him as much as it had distressed her. Despite that, he still approached her when she sang. It didn't make any sense.

Annette thought back to the time after her spell rendered Felix visible but before he realized she had seen him. The image of him lying on the lakebed while his bizarre yet beautiful tail swayed rhythmically behind him was still clear in her memory. He had seemed so relaxed and at ease, almost as if…

Almost as if he _enjoyed_ her singing.

Her blush intensified tenfold. There was no way that could be true, but no matter how many times she went over the facts in her head, they all pointed to the same conclusion. Somehow, she had earned a fan in the most unexpected of places. She wanted to crawl into a hole and die, but at the same time she felt flattered. It was strangely gratifying to discover that someone other than Mercie liked her little tunes.

She stiffened as an idea struck her with all the speed and intensity of a Thoron blast. She now knew exactly how to make up with Felix. It was simple, yet brilliant. The only flaw was that she was sure she would die of embarrassment if she went through with it.

"Goddess, help me…" she sighed.

Annette waited until the lake was free of visitors to enact her plan. Luck was not on her side, as people kept coming and going until well past nightfall. The time off she had fought so hard for was rapidly slipping away. She couldn't afford to mess this up.

She waded into the chilly water until her legs were submerged. Her heart threatened to beat out of her chest and she was sure her face resembled a tomato, but she forced herself to stay put. She swallowed the lump in her throat and took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

 _It's now or never,_ she thought. She inhaled deeply once again and began her new song.

_"Listen to what I have to say. I didn't mean to push you away. My friend, deep in waters blue, I'm sorry for what I did to you. I promise I'm no longer mad, so you can stop feeling sad."_

Turning her apology into a song was unorthodox and awkward, but if Felix liked her singing, then this was the best way to get through to him. She decided against using her spell as well because she didn’t want him to flee again if he realized she could see him. This time, she would wait until he decided to confront her on his own.

She felt ridiculous standing waist deep in a lake while singing her heart out to an audience she could not see. She really hoped this would work, because if it didn’t, then she would lose her last bit of dignity for nothing.

 _That evil little beastie better appreciate this,_ she thought.

Something poked her leg and she instinctively shrieked. In her panic, she stumbled and fell in the water. She resurfaced an instant later, coughing and spluttering as she pushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Saints, I'm a disaster," she grumbled. She shivered and hugged herself, her drenched clothes feeling like ice in the night air. "Felix! I promise I'm not mad! You just startled me, that's all!"

No response. Not willing to give up yet, Annette walked forward until only her head remained above the water. “I’m not leaving this lake until you talk to me, you hear me?!”

Hands rested on top of her own, and this time she managed to contain her reaction to a tiny gasp. She gingerly unfolded her arms and outstretched her hand so Felix could write on it. She soon felt the now familiar clawed finger trace her palm.

_Sorry._

Annette shook her head. "I've already forgiven you. Just no more manhandling, got it?"

_Got it._

"Good," she said with a smile. A brief silence settled between them before Felix sketched more letters on her palm.

_You saw me last night._

It wasn’t a question. Annette suppressed a grimace. She had expected this to come up at some point, but not quite this abruptly. “I did. I used a spell to suppress your invisibility curse.”

She could tell Felix was uneasy from how stiff his finger’s movements became, and she wanted to hit herself for casting that spell without asking Felix first. Only now did she realize that he may have fled from her because he didn’t _want_ to be seen. She felt even worse when Felix completed his message.

_Aren’t you afraid of me?_

Of course. Felix’s appearance was part of his curse. It was only natural that he would see himself as something disgusting or horrifying. Claws and tails were features that typically belonged on monsters, after all. 

"Felix. You are a lot of things, but scary is not one of them."

Her answer must have caught Felix off guard, because several seconds passed before he started writing again. _I really don't understand you._

“Well, I don’t understand you either,” Annette responded. She breathed a laugh that died off as a shiver racked her body. "Don't worry, I promise I won't be too proud to admit I'm cold this time."

The water wasn't quite as cold as the last time she had stood in it, but she wouldn't be able to stay for long. She had to finish her business quickly.

"Before I leave, though, I have a request. I want to try my spell on you again. I cast a very weak version of it last night, so I couldn't make out much more than the shape of your body. I won't force you to accept it if you don't want it, but I figured it would be easier for us to communicate if I can see you."

Annette patiently waited for Felix's answer. She didn't want to push him into something he wasn't comfortable with. She sucked in a breath as she shivered again, and she hoped Felix wouldn't do anything drastic or stupid out of concern.

At long last, Felix wrote, _All right._ With his consent given, Annette plucked her hairpin out of her hair and asked him to wait a moment.

“I’m using this as a conduit,” she explained as she infused the hairpin with her magic. “The spell will only work as long as you’re touching it. If you feel anything strange or painful, let go of it _immediately_ , okay? I’m pretty confident it’s safe, but this is just a precaution.”

She felt guilty about using something so important to her as a magical conduit, but it was the best thing she had on hand due to its small size and the fact that it didn't float. Once the infusion was complete, she presented the hairpin to Felix. When his clawed hand gripped hers, she held her breath and waited. The shape of a hand appeared, then an arm, and then a body. The shape became more distinct and opaque until the full form of Felix’s half-human, half-fish body was revealed.

The first thing that grabbed Annette's attention were his eyes. They were black where they should have been white, with copper irises and slits for pupils. They contrasted sharply with his skin, which was as pale as the moon above them. Combined with the long, midnight hair billowing about his head, he looked otherworldly. Annette squashed the discomfort that pricked her heart. She didn't want to make Felix feel even more self-conscious about his appearance when he had been so reluctant to show himself in the first place.

Her eyes roved to his neck, where a set of gills fluttered in an almost hypnotic matter. His ears were vaguely human-like but were elongated and gradually transitioned into fins. Dark blue scales peppered the sides of his face and lined his arms and torso like armor. His coal black claws extended about a centimeter from his fingertips, and the membranes connecting his fingers were translucent enough for her to see the blood vessels coursing through them.

As Annette continued her examination, she confirmed what she had inadvertently discovered before: Felix had a toned, muscular body. It was most evident in his chest, where his abs and pectoral muscles were clearly visible. She swallowed hard and quickly moved on, hoping her blush wasn't as bad as it felt. The scales decorating his torso grew more numerous the further down she looked, providing a smooth transition from his humanoid upper half into his fishlike tail.

His tail was even more entrancing now that she could see it in its full glory. The moonlight reflected off the dark scales and gave them a similar appearance to the star covered sky. His tailfin moved back and forth at a slow but steady pace, and his scales glimmered with every movement.

Felix averted his gaze and Annette felt guilty for staring at him. "Sorry! I can't help it! You're just so―" she paused while her mind desperately searched for the right adjective, "―amazing!"

Felix's eyes grew comically wide and his jaw fell open, revealing that he had fangs to match his claws. Annette couldn't help but giggle a little, and his expression morphed into an embarrassed snarl. It was simultaneously unsettling and adorable.

Her teeth chattered as another shiver tore through her body. Felix gave her a worried look. "T-time's up," she said stiffly. "I need to d-d-dry off before I fr-freeze. S-sorry about the t-t-trouble."

Felix shook his head and released Annette's hand, leaving her hairpin with her. He vanished almost instantly, but she soon felt his hands on her shoulders as he gently but insistently pushed her towards shore. She exited the water as quickly as she could, only to shiver even harder as the cool night breeze blew through her. She needed to dry off fast.

She spent the better part of a half hour changing her clothes and setting up a campfire, but once the fire finally got going, she sighed happily as the warmth washed over her. She would have preferred a hot bath, but this was the next best thing. More than anything though, she was relieved that her plan had worked. Now that she had reconciled with Felix, she could focus on breaking his curse again. After seeing how revolted he was at his own appearance, she felt more determined than ever to help him.

She couldn't get his image out of her mind. His eyes still freaked her out a little, but he was the most captivating creature she had ever seen. Maybe Felix couldn't see it, but she thought he was beautiful.

Her thoughts screeched to a halt.

Oh.

_Oh._

_Oh, no._

She was in big trouble now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felannie Discord: Making the captive thing mutual was brilliant!
> 
> Me, who did it completely unintentionally: Ahahaha... *sweatdrops*
> 
> My nerdy science brain kind of took over in this chapter. I was always a good math student so if I were in the 3H universe I'd probably have a strength in Reason. My nerd brain and creative brain interacting gives me kind of a unique view when writing.
> 
> Also, I can't believe I came up with _two_ Annette songs for this chapter. It is not easy to write songs for her.


	5. A Song of Scales and Tails

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reader response to the last chapter has absolutely floored me. First, there are three more pieces of fanart for this story, courtesy of the lovely [Nerv](https://twitter.com/nervmaid/status/1282971058065354752?s=19), [Erica45](https://twitter.com/Erica4518/status/1283027746923393024?s=19), and [Kurakynr](https://kurakynr.tumblr.com/post/624106040472059904/sweets-treats-scales-and-tails-chapter-1). And, likely as a result of those fanarts, I received an explosion of hits and kudos, and even a couple more Twitter followers. It's a bit overwhelming.
> 
> I didn't expect to be able to update again this soon, but this has been incredibly motivating, plus the most recent chapter I finished wound up being very short, so consider this update a special treat. The next chapter I'm planning is going to be very lengthy by comparison, so don't get used to updates being this quick, at least not until I'm done writing. I think I've finally settled on a chapter count, so that's been updated accordingly, but it is subject to change.

Felix was finally convinced that he was not dreaming. Even in his wildest dreams, he never imagined Annette would forgive him, willingly sing for him, and look at his monstrous form without a hint of fear. She even went so far as to call him “amazing”, which he couldn’t understand. There was nothing amazing about being half-fish. 

If anything, she was the amazing one. She created a spell that rendered him visible over the span of just a few days. Felix wasn’t well-versed in magic, but even he knew that was impressive. When Annette called for him the next afternoon and gave him her magic-infused hairpin, he asked her if she came up with spells as easily as she made up songs. Her face reddened as she spluttered and called him a villain again.

Perhaps as a means of retaliation, she asked to touch his ear fins and his tail. His first impulse was to refuse, but something about her big blue eyes and pouty expression made it impossible for him to say no. He reluctantly agreed to her request and she nearly squealed. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't suppress a wince as Annette dragged her finger from the shell of his ear to the tip of his fin.

"Ticklish?" she asked, giggling. He scowled in response, which only made her laugh harder. "Sorry, sorry! I can't help it!"

Even though she was laughing at his expense, he was surprised to find that he didn't mind that much. Her laughter sounded pleasant―he'd even go so far as to say it was cute. He digested this revelation cautiously, intensely aware that he was treading on dangerous ground. He'd already grown more attached to Annette than he had any right to. At this rate, he was going to end up hurting himself.

Then again, that had already happened. He'd been miserable during the three days Annette had refused to see him. He didn't blame her for being upset after the idiotic stunt he'd pulled, but therein lied the problem: _he_ was the one who had upset her. It ate at him day and night, leaving him constantly restless and irritable.

The long hours of solitude and sleepless nights gave him a lot of time to reflect. Ever since Glenn died, he became very good at pushing people away. He pushed away his father, his friends, and anyone who tried to dig too deep into his past during his mercenary days. As a half-fish monster, he drove away anyone he found annoying. Now that he had met someone he liked being around, he'd driven her away, too. His body may have changed, but he hadn't.

On the third night, he heard her singing again, and he swam close to listen despite knowing how it would end if she noticed him. He was no better than a fish drawn to bait, and Annette caught him hook, line, and sinker. Once he realized she could see him, he fled in shame like the fool he was. Any hope he had of Annette wanting to see him again shattered. She would never want anything to do with someone as disgusting as him.

Except Annette once again defied all of his expectations.

"Felix? Are you okay?" Annette's voice snapped Felix back to the present. He quickly nodded after seeing how concerned she looked. "Are you sure? I won't touch your fins anymore if it makes you uncomfortable."

He shook his head and swam to a shallower spot so he could rest on the lakebed while keeping his tail in Annette's reach. He watched her face light up as she gingerly touched his scales. She slowly moved her hand down the length of his tail, and when her fingers brushed his tailfin he couldn't stop himself from shuddering.

"Sorry!" she yelped as she yanked her hand away. Felix groaned. Why did his damned fins have to be so sensitive? He flicked his tail irritably before presenting it to Annette again.

"Are you sure?" she asked, and he nodded firmly in response. This time, he forced himself to stay still despite how badly he wanted to squirm. He didn’t mind Annette's touches. It was just that he wasn't used to being able to perceive someone's fingers so sharply. It was akin to her touching his lips―a thought that he firmly locked away in the darkest corner of his mind.

“Amazing,” Annette whispered. “It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt.” 

Felix couldn’t believe what he was seeing. She treated his tail as if it was a priceless treasure instead of an oversized fish limb. Warmth bloomed in his chest and across his face and he turned away from her, feeling strangely bashful.

"Felix, are you… blushing?" Annette asked, and Felix wished the earth would swallow him up. She laughed again. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

He covered his face and groaned again, but despite his embarrassment, he was happier than he had been in years. Even the thrill of battle paled in comparison to the warmth enveloping him. Cold reality drenched him as he remembered that his time with Annette was limited. Worse yet, he had wasted most of that time because he was a damned idiot.

Annette called his name again, and he realized his mood must have shown in his posture. He came clean to her, and she gave him a sad smile. "It's not all your fault. I spent most of those three days wanting to make up with you, but I just couldn't work up the courage."

Felix strongly disagreed. They would never have fought in the first place if he had better impulse control. He told Annette as much, but she simply said, "What's done is done. Now come on. I still have a couple more days here, and we have better things to do than mope and argue."

She had a very good point, so he placed his hand in hers and allowed her to guide him where she wanted. She then placed her hands over his heart and cast another spell to examine his curse. At this time of day, the water was much warmer, so she was confident she could finish without being interrupted. The only issue now was that Felix could not for the life of him stop his heart from trying to burst out of his chest. No doubt Annette could feel it as well, which only flustered him more. She wasn't doing anything intimate, but just having her so close left him a nervous wreck. The last time he had been in this position, he’d ruined everything, and he did not want a repeat performance of that.

He closed his eyes and tried not to think about Annette's closeness. Instead, he focused on the song ringing in his head. Annette's musical apology had woven itself into its memory, just like all her other songs. Even though it was only a faint echo of the real thing, her voice grounded him. His panic subsided and he felt his body relax.

"There! All done!" Annette chirped, snapping Felix out of his reverie. She removed her hands from him and sighed gustily. "That took longer than I thought it would, but I finally have a good idea of how these spells are structured. I’ll have to write all this down while it’s still fresh in my memory, so do you mind if I get out for a bit?”

He shook his head and she beamed gratefully at him before getting out of the water. He watched her go and let himself sink to the lakebed. He felt his heart sink as well and he hated himself for it. Annette had made it clear that she was only here to help break his curse. He knew this, and yet he felt disappointed anyway.

He looked down at the flower hairpin resting loosely in his grasp. He could scarcely believe that this simple, unassuming object had changed his life so drastically. For the first time in years, he had hope of regaining his human form. But if Annette managed to break his curse, would she still want to see him?

Felix knew he wasn't a pleasant person to be around. Years of isolation had exacerbated his abrasive nature, and he'd upset Annette several times already. He wouldn't have blamed her if she gave up on him, but she came back out of the kindness of her heart. He didn't deserve someone like her.

Even if she somehow accepted him, she'd never see him the same way once she found out he was Felix Fraldarius. He didn't care about his bloodline or social standing, but Annette might not think the same way. Not only that, he doubted she would be happy to discover that he had been keeping his identity a secret for all this time, especially since everyone believed he was dead. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't see a future where she would want to stay with him.

That didn't stop him from wanting to see her again anyway. Saints, he was a fool. He'd always known that his emotions would be his downfall, which is why he tried so hard to shut them away. Now here he was, drowning in feelings despite knowing that they would only lead to heartbreak.

The sunlight filtering through the water had faded to a yellow-orange color when he heard Annette shout his name followed by loud splashing. He jolted at the sight of her running towards him and he rushed to meet her.

“Sorry I took so long!” she exclaimed. “Oh, my spell’s wearing off… Here, let me refresh it.”

Felix presented Annette with her hairpin. She took hold of it and mumbled something under her breath, and it glowed briefly as fresh magic infused it. Once she was finished, she returned the hairpin to Felix.

“I was thinking,” she began, twiddling her thumbs. “Since we have some free time, would you like to… swim together? If you don’t mind.”

Her request surprised him. Did she like spending time with him, or was she just offering out of pity? He decided that it didn't matter. The fact that she trusted him enough to join him in his element made him feel warm. He nodded at her, and her nervousness melted away. She smiled as she followed him into deeper water. Once she was neck deep, she took a deep breath and dove beneath the surface.

Felix soon realized this was the first time he had seen her face without the water's surface distorting it. She opened her eyes and blinked rapidly as she adjusted to the water. Her gaze focused on him, and when those lovely blue eyes met his, Felix knew he was screwed.

He ignored his racing heart and extended his hand, which Annette took hold of. He forced himself to not flinch at the now familiar tingles that spread through his body at the contact. He carefully guided her away from the shoreline, making sure he stayed close to the surface. As he suspected, within seconds Annette had to resurface in order to breathe. She huffed, clearly frustrated. “Sorry. I wish I could hold my breath longer.”

 _Not your fault,_ he wrote. He hated that she blamed herself for something that was out of her control. 

“Still…” She sighed. “I just want to make the most of the time I have. It's already the Verdant Rain Moon and I've taken more than my fair share of school sponsored study time this year. I hate to say it, but I don't think I'll be able to come back here until spring comes. That reminds me, how do you survive the winter out here? You don’t… freeze, do you?”

He hadn’t expected the question, but her concern was understandable. _I hibernate,_ he answered. He tried not to frown at how strange it felt to use that word, but he couldn’t think of a better way to describe it. When summer turned to fall and the water grew colder with each passing day, he gradually became more sluggish and drowsy. No matter how hard he tried to fight it, exhaustion always won over and he would pass out on the lakebed. He never got used to waking up and realizing that several moons had passed.

“You hibernate?” Annette parroted, and Felix felt another stab of self-consciousness. The feeling ebbed when a small smile spread across Annette's face. “I kind of envy you. I don’t really like winter. It’s cold and miserable and I somehow always find ice to slip on. It’d be nice to sleep through it, if only I didn’t have so much work to do.” She sighed and her smile turned sad. “That's also why I can't stay here. I’m really sorry, Felix. I hate to leave you alone again, but I don't have a choice. Lots of people are counting on me."

Felix knew this was coming, but it didn't lessen the sting in his heart. Before he could stop himself, he wrote, _Sing for me._

Predictably, she became flustered. “Wha―?! You want me to sing?! Right now?!”

 _Before you leave,_ he amended. Then he took a deep breath and added, _Please._

Annette stared open-mouthed at him for a moment. “You’re really serious about this. That’s the first time you’ve said ‘please’ for anything.”

He clenched his teeth and turned away, cheeks burning with embarrassment. Annette’s resulting giggle worsened the feeling. He wished his heart would stop stuttering every time he heard that sound.

“Well… If that’s how you feel about it, then I guess I could sing for you,” she relented. “Later, though. For now, let's just focus on swimming."

Felix nodded, and he hoped he didn’t look too eager. He was just happy to spend time with her. He showed her every part of his watery home that wasn’t at a harmful depth, and Annette allowed him to lead her until she needed to breathe.

“Say Felix,” Annette interjected during one of her breaks. "How fast can you swim? I've been wondering that for a while now, and since we're in the middle of the lake and all… But don't feel like you have to do anything you don't want to for my sake! I was just curious."

Felix couldn't stop a competitive smirk from spreading across his face. He turned around so his back faced Annette and guided her hands under his arms until she was embracing him from behind. She gasped softly, having figured out what he was doing. "Felix…"

He removed his hands from her and went still. After his last blunder, he vowed not to force Annette to do anything that made her uncomfortable. Instead of pulling away, however, her arms tightened around him. He looked over his shoulder in surprise and saw Annette wearing a nervous but determined expression.

 _Ready?_ he traced on the back of her hand.

"Ready," she replied firmly, and Felix's heart swelled at how deeply she trusted him. He gave her an affirmative nod before facing forward again and thrusting his tail. Annette yelped and held even tighter to him as he accelerated.

Carrying Annette like this proved trickier than Felix anticipated. He had to stay close to the surface so she could breathe, but he also needed enough room to move his tail without smacking his fins into the barrier. On top of that, Annette was slowing him down. Felix wasn't one to back down from a challenge, however. A thrill ran through him as he realized this was a battle between him and the water, with his tail serving as his blade. 

Annette's delighted shrieks and giggles rewarded his efforts and encouraged him to push himself even harder. He couldn't reach his normal top speed, but having her with him more than made up for it. He circled Lake Ninis over and over until his muscles screamed for rest. He reluctantly glided to a stop near the shore and allowed Annette to climb off of him before he let his exhausted body sink.

"Felix, that was amazing!" Annette exclaimed. Felix turned away, partially from embarrassment and partially to hide his fangs while he caught his breath. He took in great gulps of water and his gills heaved with the effort to filter it all. 

"H-hey! Are you okay? I didn't push you too hard, did I?"

He forced himself to look at her and shook his head. 

"Was that a 'No, I'm not okay' or a 'No, I'm fine'?"

Felix groaned, once again frustrated at how his curse made communication difficult. He took Annette's hand again and wrote, _I'm fine._

"That's good," she said, relief painted all over her face. "I admit that I got carried away back there. I was having too much fun. The way you swim… It's almost like flying!"

Felix managed a small chuckle in spite of himself. He couldn't believe how stupidly happy he felt. Saints, this was bad.

"You're smiling!" Annette gasped, and a horrified Felix reached up and quickly discovered she was right. He turned away from her again, and just like before, Annette laughed at him. "Oh, come on Felix! What are you hiding your face for? Smiling is a good thing!"

She wasn't wrong, but Felix wasn't used to expressing his feelings so openly. After Glenn died, he'd closed his heart off from everyone. Initially, it was out of grief, but after his flight from home, it became a necessity―he couldn't risk anyone discovering his identity and dragging him back home to be another glorified human shield for the prince. It benefited him as a mercenary, too. He had no need for emotions that hampered him in battle. Now, however, Annette had breached all the walls he'd constructed, and he felt horrendously vulnerable. He hated it.

"How about this," Annette began, her tone dangerously smug. "If I sing for you, will you smile for me?"

By the goddess, this woman was going to be the end of him. If that was the price he had to pay to hear her sing, then who was he to deny her? He took a deep breath and summoned the courage to face her again. Then, feeling as if he was about to sign his own death warrant, he nodded.

"We have a deal, then!" she exclaimed. "You know, I thought of a new song earlier. It needs work, but would you like to hear what I have so far?" Felix knew he must have looked pathetically eager, because Annette laughed again. "All right, all right, but you have to keep your end of the bargain too, okay?"

At this point, he couldn't have refused if he tried. He made himself as comfortable as he could on the rocks and nodded at her. She smiled and returned the gesture, and then she took a deep breath and began to sing.

_"Splishy splash, splishy splash… Deep down in a dark lake you swim round and round. You live with all the fishies, and you never make a sound. Fangs and claws and swishy fins all make quite a sight. But best of all are scales of blue that sparkle in the light. Splishy splash, scales and tails, splishy splash…"_

Felix couldn't have been more stunned if he'd been struck by Bolting. Was that song about _him?_

Annette began to fidget as a rosy blush spread across her face. "Well?" she pressed. Felix finally realized he was gaping and snapped his jaw shut. Shit, he had to fix this fast. He began frantically tracing letters on her palm.

_Thank you._

"Really? It's okay if you don't think it's good. It was really spur of the moment and the lyrics need work and it's really embarrassing and―"

Felix tugged her hand to get her attention, but she didn't notice and continued rambling. He sighed through his gills, prayed he wouldn't regret what he was about to do, and yanked Annette towards him. She yelped in surprise as she tumbled into the water. She resurfaced seconds later and spluttered furiously.

"Felix! What was that for?!" she shouted.

_You talk too much._

"You could have been less rude about it!"

_I tried._

"You're such a villain!" she snarled, but her expression softened after a moment. "Hey, you're smiling again!"

Felix forced himself to not turn away this time. He tried to ignore how hot his face felt as he wrote, _We had a deal._

"Ah, right." Annette was silent for a moment, her blush mirroring Felix's. "So, um… You never said if you liked my song or not."

 _I―_ He faltered for a moment, but forced himself to finish. _―like all your songs._

" _All_ of them?!" Annette exclaimed. "I… I don't know what to say. I'm flattered you think that way."

Felix shut his eyes and swallowed. He too, had no idea what to say. The awkward silence stretched on for what felt like hours.

"Um," Annette said at last. "Well, the sun's almost gone, and I'm sure you're tired, so… I'll see you tomorrow, hopefully!"

A part of him wanted to protest, but then he remembered Annette was drenched, and the afternoon heat would vanish soon. He didn't want a repeat of the previous night, so he bid her farewell and returned her hairpin. He swam back into deeper water and snatched a queen loach for his dinner. His animal instincts took over and he greedily dug in. His jaws crushed the scales and bones while his fangs sliced into the flesh. The whole process was barbaric and he was exceedingly grateful that no one could see him like this.

Not for the first time, he wondered if one day he'd lose his humanity and become nothing more than a vicious beast. He'd somehow managed to stay sane after five years of imprisonment, but what about in another five years? Ten? Twenty? Despite Annette's efforts, there was a very real possibility that he'd be trapped here forever.

On the other hand, if Annette broke the curse, she'd no longer have a reason to keep seeing him. He would never be able to visit her, either―he'd be recognized before he got anywhere close to Fhirdiad, and that was assuming Annette didn't figure out who he was. The thought of never seeing her again turned his stomach and made his chest hurt.

He finished the remains of his dinner and sank dejectedly. Whether Annette succeeded or failed, he was doomed. It made him long for the days where he could solve all his problems with a bit of swordplay. Now, however, he no longer had a sword. Instead, he was stuck with feelings that he had no idea how to handle, and he had only one person to blame―and he couldn't get angry at her if he tried.

He never imagined he'd have a problem worse than his curse. It wasn't like him to become attached to people, but then again, Annette was unlike anyone he'd met in his life. With just one song, she'd changed his whole world, for better and for worse, and now he had to live with the consequences.

He buried his face in his hands. Goddess help him, he was screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent ages on that Annette song... I don't know why I made myself suffer writing so many of them, but I'm honestly quite proud of this one. Also, judging from the number of times I cringed rereading this before publishing, this is the cheesiest chapter by far.


	6. A Long, Dark Winter

Annette furiously scribbled in her notebook, heedless of the opened books scattered haphazardly around her and the snow fiercely pounding against her window. It reminded her of all the times she stayed up until the wee hours of the morning studying for exams. Instead of memorizing theorems, symbols, and formulas, however, she was busy reading her notes and drafting counterspells.

This had become part of her routine ever since she returned to Fhirdiad. During the day, she performed her usual mage duties, attended classes, and occasionally assisted a class of younger students as part of her training to become a teacher. When night fell, however, she delved into her personal research. Now that she had a detailed record of all the glyphs and formulas that made up Felix's curse, she had been able to make some real progress on figuring out how to break it.

Unfortunately, her "real progress" amounted to temporary fixes at best. She had anticipated this from the start, but it was still frustrating to discover how out of her league she was. As Annette studied the curse, she found more and more runes that she didn't recognize. It led her to a grim conclusion: this curse contained dark magic.

Dark magic was long forbidden in the Royal School of Sorcery because of how dangerous it was. Unlike black magic, which used formulas to manipulate various elements, all dark magic followed the universe's most desired formula: entropy. It existed solely to decay, deform, and destroy everything it touched, including the people who used it. Dark mages could be spotted easily thanks to the ugly black scars that their spells left on their hands and arms. In the past, many dark mages chose to wear long sleeves and gloves to conceal their scars, but those were just as damning. Dark mages also typically had shorter lives compared to their kin, and so the Church of Seiros banned the study and use of dark magic years ago.

The fact that Lake Ninis's witch used such a destructive form of magic to change a person's shape was mind boggling. While the curse wasn't exclusively dark magic, enough was there to convince Annette that Felix should be dead. On the other hand, the witch was clearly familiar with dark magic, whereas Annette only had history books containing vague secondhand accounts of how it worked. She hypothesized that the dark magic runes were being used to create and maintain disorder in Felix's body, or in other words, transform his body and keep it in the wrong shape. Without knowing exactly how the runes and formulas worked, however, she had no way to dispel the curse.

Annette wasn't deterred, however. In fact, the dead end spurred her to work even harder. She studied every book that contained even a vague mention of dark magic in hopes of finding clues. She pored over the runes she understood and drafted counterspells that could suppress some of the curse's elements. She refused to give up even as her efforts became increasingly fruitless. She couldn't bear the thought of letting Felix down.

With a sigh, she set down her quill and scrutinized her newest formula. It was yet another experimental counterspell that she wouldn't be able to test for many more moons. She found herself hating the long Faerghus winter more and more with each passing day. She wanted to see Felix so badly, but he was leagues away from her, deep in hibernation and sealed beneath a blanket of snow and ice. Not for the first time, Annette wished she could sleep until spring, too.

When she first offered to help Felix all those moons ago, she hadn't anticipated getting attached. She pitied him and often worried about how he was doing, but that was a natural reaction, considering that he was cursed. It was only when she saw him for the first time that she realized she had found more than she bargained for.

She recognized her crush almost as soon as it formed and vowed to make every effort to suppress it. Felix would never believe her, much less return her affections. There was also the glaring issue of Felix being unable to leave Lake Ninis. If she fell any deeper, she'd end up on a one-way road to heartbreak.

Like always, though, Felix made everything more difficult. The more time she spent with him, the more endearing traits she discovered. Perhaps as a result of having no voice, he was incredibly expressive. She could always tell when he was feeling embarrassed or shy because his pale skin would turn bright pink and he would proceed to hide his face. His irritation showed in flicks of his tailfin and bared fangs. Most of all, she loved his smiles, rarer and more precious than any treasure. In fact, she loved them so much that she offered to sing in exchange for one.

In hindsight, that should have been her first clue that this was more than a passing infatuation.

Naive as she was, though, Annette left Lake Ninis hoping that time and distance would dampen her feelings. When her thoughts turned to Felix, she reasoned that it was normal for her to be concerned about him. She had similar thoughts about her parents, after all. But soon those concerned thoughts became accompanied by daydreams of navy scales, copper eyes, and sweet smiles.

Annette threw herself into her work in hopes of nipping the problem in the bud. As long as her mind was occupied, she figured there'd be no room in her head for daydreams. Her plan worked to an extent, but it was impossible to not think about Felix when she was working on breaking his curse in her free time.

Despite her best efforts, the budding feelings in her heart continued to grow. That stupid scales and tails song she made up rang in her head and mocked her. Sometimes when she fell asleep, she would dream of living in an underwater world with Felix, only to wake up in a panic an instant before he kissed her. Her classmates and professors kept asking if she was ill, and she had to constantly make up reasons why her face was flushed or why she looked disheveled.

The lies and excuses she came up with sounded less convincing by the day, and by the Wyvern Moon, she had no choice to admit the truth: she, Annette Fantine Dominic, was hopelessly in love with a half-fish man.

There were, of course, many problems with this, not the least of which being the distance between them. Falling in love with someone you could only see once every few moons at best was a recipe for disaster. Then there was the fact that Annette was attracted to a fish person. While she thought Felix was beautiful, fish parts and all, she was acutely aware that her tastes were unorthodox at best and dangerous at worst. If anyone found out she had feelings for a monster (even though Felix was anything but), she'd be thrown into the nearest dungeon and Felix would be hunted down and killed. Worst of all, she knew that no matter how much she longed for Felix, she could never be with him. Just like how she could never convince her father to come home, no matter how hard she tried.

She shook her head, unwilling to continue down that line of thought. She'd never been able to live that failure down. She used to wonder how her mother could still love a man who had abandoned his family, but after seeing the disastrous course her own love life had taken, she understood. Love was a powerful thing. It did not care for rules or logic or propriety, and that made it more dangerous than any magic.

Now it was the Guardian Moon and Annette had somehow managed to not lose her mind along with her heart. Thankfully, Mercedes had been a huge help. Annette had confessed everything to her in a letter, and like always, Mercedes knew just the words to say to keep her grounded.

_You can make it through this, Annie. You're the strongest person I know. I know it seems scary, but love is a wonderful thing. And don't worry about what other people think. Anyone who disapproves of someone just because of their appearance is wrong. After all, a person's true worth is found within._

Annette didn't think she was very strong, but the words made her feel better. On the other hand, Mercedes wasn't much help in solving Annette's biggest problem: keeping her feelings a secret from Felix. The last thing she wanted was to shatter the fragile bond they had forged.

Now that she thought about it, she didn't know what to call their relationship. Did a few days of talking and swimming together make them friends? They certainly trusted each other far more than two strangers should. Felix never questioned her magic, and she felt perfectly safe with him in the water. Rude as he was, Felix never gave her any reason to fear him. Of course, it also helped that he'd retrieved her precious hairpin after she'd dropped it in the lake.

So when she forked over a sizable chunk of gold to buy Felix a present back in the Wyvern Moon, she reasoned that it was a gesture of gratitude and convenience. To be fair, the main reason she had to spend so much money was because material that didn't corrode in water was expensive. She didn't want to use her hairpin as her conduit forever, so it was only natural that she should go out of her way to find an alternative. Yet when she brought it home, she hid it away in the darkest corner of her drawers. Just thinking about the gift left her blushing like a schoolgirl. Saints, she had it bad.

A yawn escaped her, and it along with the headache growing between her temples told her that it was time to turn in for the night. The Annette of several years ago would have pressed on regardless, but she'd learned the hard way that mistakes could easily slip through the cracks while she was sleep deprived, and she did not want to take any more chances when it came to Felix. She stretched her sore back and neck, changed into her nightgown, and blew out her candle before climbing into bed.

* * *

Time continued its slow relentless march. Winter kept its icy grip on Fhirdiad well into the Lone Moon, and snow lingered even as the Great Tree Moon began. Even so, Annette was tired of waiting. She met with her direct supervisor and made her request.

Professor Selena took the news about as well as expected. "You want to go to Lake Ninis _again_?"

"Yes, in the Harpstring Moon. There are still some things I want to check out."

"Annette. The best mages in all of Fódlan have investigated that lake. There is nothing there. We can't afford to keep letting you run off just because of baseless rumors."

"They're not baseless, though!" Annette protested.

Professor Selena raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do you have evidence to support your claim?"

Annette opened her mouth but promptly shut it. Showing her notebook full of dark magic runes would get her kicked out of the School of Sorcery faster than she could say "Oops". She grudgingly lowered her head and said, "No. But―"

" _Annette_." Annette immediately bit her tongue and shrunk back under Professor Selena's piercing gaze. "You know as well as I do that mages performing research for the School of Sorcery cannot make any official investigations without sufficient proof. If you continue to pursue this issue, it will have to be independent research."

Annette swallowed. Researching independently from the School of Sorcery meant not receiving any financial compensation, nor would her absence from her studies be excused. Missing over a week of classes would at best severely damage her grades, and at worst get her expelled. A small part of her had anticipated this, but nothing could have prepared her for having to choose between Felix and her dream job. Now that the moment had been thrust on to her, she found herself paralyzed. She couldn't decide. Not now.

"Please forgive me, Professor!" she cried. "Just give me one more chance! I'll bring back proof this time, I promise!"

Professor Selena stared at her with an inscrutable expression. Annette refused to back down, even though her heart was pounding and her legs threatened to buckle beneath her. After what seemed like hours, Professor Selena closed her eyes and sighed. "Very well. I will grant you one more week of study. If you fail to provide sufficient evidence to continue your investigation, you are forbidden to return to Lake Ninis except for independent research. Understood?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Good. I'll be seeing you later, then."

Once Professor Selena was out of sight, Annette collapsed to the ground. She'd managed to buy herself a little more time, but what was she going to do once that ran out? Would she be strong enough to make the right choice? Was she willing to give up everything she had worked for to save one person?

She took a deep, steadying breath and forced herself to calm down. There had to be another way out of this. She wouldn't be leaving for at least a few more weeks, so she had time to figure things out. Once her legs stopped feeling like jelly, she forced herself to her feet and strode purposefully back to her room. She had a lot of work to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, trying to come up with names for the original characters/locations in this fic: *steals names from other FE games*
> 
> I post this, one of the shortest chapters in this fic, shortly after writing my longest chapter so far... The irony. Also my nerd brain invaded this chapter again.


	7. Spring's Return

Spring was always a difficult time for Felix. His long winter slumber left him disoriented, and it never got easier no matter how many times he experienced it. His body returned to the living world in stages, and his conscious mind was always the last thing to awaken. For the first day or so, his fish brain had full control, and instinct guided his every action. He only regained full awareness after his ravenous appetite was sated, but he still remembered everything he did while his humanity was dormant, and he always felt disgusted afterward.

This spring was especially hard because the transition period once again reminded him that he was a monster that didn't deserve Annette. If he ever lost control and wound up hurting her, he would never forgive himself. Thankfully, she had never seen him in a feral state, and he was determined to keep it that way.

On the other hand, his human half had its own share of problems, all of them stemming from his foolish heart. He missed Annette terribly despite knowing she had more important things to do than see him. For once, a small part of him was grateful that he had spent the winter in hibernation, because the ache in his chest was eating him alive.

He hated this feeling. It was like someone had reached into his chest and ripped out a piece of his heart. While he had suffered worse before―nothing could come close to the pain of losing Glenn―he couldn't stand how _wrong_ it felt. It was comparable to when he discovered he no longer had legs.

He shouldn't be feeling like this over a person he had known for only a few days, but he couldn't help it. Annette's face and voice haunted him wherever he went. Her songs lulled him to sleep and invaded his dreams. She held him captive as much as Lake Ninis did.

The worst part was that there was nothing he could do about it. He'd accepted that he could never be with Annette, but that didn't stop his heart from longing. He wanted to hear her sing every day. He wanted to see her smile, hear her laugh, hold her hand. He wanted to court her, to claim her as his―

Shit, even his fish brain wanted her. He sometimes wondered how he could show her that he was a desirable partner, and then he would realize where his thoughts were going and felt horrified. _Desirable partner_? Annette deserved far better than to be seen as… as a… _potential mate._ Just thinking those words made him sick to his stomach.

Saints, even after all these years he was still finding new things to hate about his curse.

To make matters worse, he couldn't stop thinking about that song Annette made up about him. It was irrefutable proof that she didn't just tolerate him, she _liked_ him. Yet it left a bittersweet feeling in his heart, for he knew she would never like him the way he liked her.

He vowed to keep his feelings secret for both his and Annette's sake. He had no right to pursue someone he could never have and didn't deserve, and he didn't want to burden her with another one of his problems. Knowing Annette, she'd find a way to blame herself even though this stupid… _thing_ was all his fault.

Even knowing all of this, nothing could have prepared him for Annette's return. The instant he heard her voice, his heart skipped several beats and a million butterflies burst forth in his stomach. He rushed towards shore to meet her even as he chastised himself for falling prey to his emotions again.

"Felix!" Annette exclaimed after he took her hand. "It's been so long! I missed you."

Felix couldn’t believe his ears. _She missed him?_ He was immediately glad he was still invisible because he could feel how badly he was blushing. It took him several seconds to pull himself together enough to formulate a response, and several more to gather up the courage to write it.

_I missed you, too._

Admitting that was more difficult than facing an army of bandits by himself. Once again, he was profoundly grateful that Annette couldn't see how red his face was.

"I'm sorry I made you wait so long," she said. "The snow melted late this year."

He really, _really_ wished she would stop blaming herself for things she had no control over.

 _You came back. That's all that matters,_ he wrote.

To his dismay, she only looked sadder. "About that… Wait, no, I'll get to that later. First, I have something for you."

Felix watched curiously as she reached into her satchel, pulled something out and presented it to him. A simple metal bracelet sat in her hand. No patterns or gems decorated it, leaving only a smooth, shiny surface.

"It's a new conduit to contain my magic," she explained. "I, uh, didn't know what you like, so I just got something super plain. And I didn't want to get anything that would bother your gills or your fins and I had to make sure it wouldn't corrode in the water. I'm sorry if it's not to your liking."

He rolled his eyes and grabbed the trinket before she could ramble any more. He felt her magic wash over him as he fumbled with the clasp and scowled at how his claws kept hindering his efforts. Annette quickly intervened and securely fastened it around his wrist.

"There," she said. "Does that feel okay?"

It felt strange to wear anything after spending so many years without any form of clothing, but it wasn't unpleasant. He nodded, knowing that she could see him now.

"That's good. Now, if you don't mind, there's something else I'd like to try." At his expectant look, she continued. "Try lifting your head out of the water."

Felix looked at her like she had grown a second head. Annette couldn't have forgotten about the barrier imprisoning him. Despite his incredulousness, her earnest expression didn't falter. Deciding that it couldn't hurt to humor her, he pushed himself towards the surface. He closed his eyes and braced himself for resistance.

A splash filled his ears, and a soggy weight plastered itself against his head and shoulders. Some of it fell in his face, and he instinctively shoved it away. He blinked rapidly and opened his mouth, a curse on his lips―

His chest moved when he breathed in.

_His chest moved when he breathed in._

He blinked a few more times, certain that he was dreaming again. The water's surface was beneath him. The soggy weight he felt was his hair, which laid flat now that there was no water to suspend it. He could feel excess water dripping down his face, and air―sweet, sweet air―filled his lungs with every breath. It was actually a little uncomfortable, especially since some of the air kept escaping through his gills, but that wasn't surprising after nearly six years of breathing water. He looked up at Annette, who was wearing a smile that left his stomach doing flips. He swallowed and took a deep breath, hope blooming in his heart.

"Annette?"

His voice, rough from disuse, was barely louder than a whisper, but Annette's eyes lit up. She let out a choked sob before flinging herself towards him. Felix made a strangled noise as her arms wrapped around him.

"It worked! It actually worked!" she cried. "I mean, all the math said it would, but I'm still so happy it worked!"

Felix found himself paralyzed. His heart was pounding so hard that he feared it would explode. He was acutely aware of Annette's body pressed against his and how tightly she was embracing him. He was torn between wanting to flee and wanting to hug her back.

"A-Annette…" he stammered.

He immediately regretted speaking up when Annette shrieked and leapt away from him as if she had been burned. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! I can't believe I just did that! Especially when I gave you such a hard time for doing the same thing! Ugh, stupid, stupid, stupid…"

"Will you cut that out?" Felix snapped. "It's water under the damned bridge."

Big blue eyes blinked at him and he winced. Two sentences in and he was already back to his abrasive self. He wondered if he'd ever be able get through a confrontation with Annette without looking like an asshole.

"You mean it?"

That was not the response he expected. He frowned and flicked his tail. "Of course I mean it. It's not like you did anything bad. Now stop worrying about it."

Annette giggled, confusing him even more. "You don't mince words, do you?

"Pretty words are meaningless. The truth is all that matters," he explained.

"Well, thank you. I'm relieved that you're not mad. Now then," she cleared her throat, "Before I forget, I need to emphasize that my magic only suppresses the curse. It will only work as long as you're wearing that bracelet, and even then, it's not permanent. Like before, my magic will wear off in time if I don't refresh it regularly."

"It's fine. This is…" He took another deep breath, savoring the fresh air. "It's more than I could have hoped for."

"Felix…"

"Don't make that face. It's not like it's your fault I'm stuck like this."

"I'm sorry. It's just… I can't get over how awful this curse is. I've never seen anyone look so happy after taking a breath."

Felix grunted and turned away, knowing he was blushing again. "So, what were you trying to tell me earlier?"

"Oh…" Annette's face somehow fell even further. "I had a talk with my professor before I left Fhirdiad, since I had to ask for permission and all. If I don't bring back proof showing that my investigation isn't futile, I won't be allowed to come back again."

"Bullshit." Felix punctuated the curse by smacking his tail against the water.

"That's an… apt way of putting it," Annette remarked. "I don't want you to be stuck here alone, Felix, but I don't want to put you in danger, either."

"Bunch of assholes…" Felix muttered. "If it's proof they want, then fine."

"Felix! What are you―"

He hissed as he yanked one of his scales free. He presented it to Annette, ignoring her look of horror. "Will this work?"

"Felix…" Annette's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "You didn't have to―"

"Shut up and take it," he snapped. "It's not like I don't have thousands of them. Besides, it'll grow back. It's no different from pulling out a hair."

Despite his reassurances, her hand hovered hesitantly over the scale. "Are you really sure you're okay with this? If people realize you're here, you'll be hunted down."

"I'll be fine. I can take care of myself. Now are you gonna take it or not?"

"Isn't that bravado what got you into this mess?" Annette remarked, raising an eyebrow. "But, if you insist…" At last, she took the scale from him.

"Finally," he sighed. "Don't lose it, okay?"

"Who do you take me for?" Annette challenged as she tucked the scale inside her satchel.

"Well, considering your track record…"

"Argh, that was _one time_! Oooooh, you're evil, you know that?!"

Felix chuckled softly. "You've made that abundantly clear. And yet you still put up with me."

“Lucky for you,” Annette grumbled, but there was no bite to it. Emboldened, Felix decided to tease her a little more.

“So, what are you planning on doing with this villain today?”

"Very funny," she said stiffly. "It's too cold to swim, so I was planning on taking a rowboat. I'm not standing on these rocks all day."

“Fair enough. Just be careful not to fall overboard again. Although I don't mind having to catch you.”

“FELIX!”

Despite her irritation at his teasing, Annette did not object to Felix swimming alongside her boat. He floated on his back while propelling himself with lazy strokes of his tail. He closed his eyes and sighed, determined to enjoy his limited freedom for as long as he could.

Eventually, Annette broke the silence. "Say, Felix, I was wondering… What was your life like before… all of this?"

He snorted. "I thought I told you that already. I was a mercenary."

"I know, but why did you decide to become a mercenary?"

He had figured Annette would eventually ask about that, but he wasn't sure how to answer. He didn't want to lie to her, but he didn't feel ready to tell her that he was a Fraldarius yet.

"My old man and I had a disagreement," he said at last. "I was raised to be a knight, but once I realized exactly what that entailed, I wanted nothing to do with it. I don't want to be seen as 'noble' for dying while doing my job. Death is death, no matter how you dress it up. So I left home, took up the sword, and never looked back."

"So you ran away," Annette concluded.

That got Felix to crack an eye open. "Now who's not mincing words?"

"You're not denying it, though."

"I have no reason to. It's true, after all." He sighed, lifted his tailfin out of the water, and gave it an annoyed flick. "I was a lot younger back then, and a lot more foolish. At the time, I didn't see any other way out. I got in over my head and nearly got myself killed several times. But I don't regret leaving my old life behind. I may be stuck with this goddess-damned body now, but it was a path I forged for myself."

"Do you ever think about your family?"

"They're all dead except for my old man, provided he hasn't kicked the bucket in the last six years. And I'd be amazed if he believes I'm still alive. He's probably lamenting that I died in a shallow grave instead of like a _true knight_."

"Felix!" Annette snapped, and Felix gave a start at how upset she sounded. "Are you saying that you don't care if your father thinks you're dead?!"

He blinked a few times, confused as to why his words had set her off. "My brother died in battle protecting someone else. And when the other knights brought his mangled body back, the first thing my old man did was _commend_ his death. Worse yet, he expected me to be willing to do the same thing, and that he'd be _proud_ if I lost my life in the same way. It made me sick. So if the old man thinks I'm dead, fine. I don't want to return to a place that treats me as a glorified shield."

Annette stared at him in shocked silence for a long time. He expected her to scold him again, but instead, she muttered, "I think I understand how you feel."

Felix gaped at her. "Huh?"

"My father was a knight in service to the Kingdom’s royal family," she explained. "When King Lambert died, my father gave up his title and left my mother and I behind, never to return. My uncle inherited my father's lands, and he took my mother and I in. But my mother was inconsolable. So I resolved to bring my father back home to her. I studied and worked as hard as I could at the Royal School of Sorcery in order to earn a recommendation to the Officer's Academy because I was sure I'd find my father at Garreg Mach Monastery. But…"

"Let me guess: everything went to shit," Felix interjected.

"Not how I would have worded it, but yeah, pretty much." She laughed bitterly. "My father wouldn't even look at me. Even when I finally got a word out of him, he told me he had no right to return home. I begged and pleaded with him for months, but he just wouldn’t listen to me. And then he left me again, this time to serve the new king, Dimitri.”

Felix didn’t realize he had bared his teeth until a vicious hiss tore free from his lungs. He quickly tampered down his animalistic urges and growled, “Your father’s a bastard.”

“Maybe so,” Annette mumbled. “But even now, I still want him to come home. He’s still my family, and I want us all to live together again. Part of the reason I returned to the School of Sorcery was so I could keep trying to see him. Maybe it’s a fool’s dream, but it’s what kept me going all these years.”

Felix's first thought was that Annette was too good for that scum. He couldn't understand why she still wanted her father in her life when he'd abandoned her twice. Another low growl built in his throat as he clenched his fists.

"Your father doesn't deserve your forgiveness," he snarled. "This shit is why I can't stand knights."

Annette smiled wanly. "You're probably right. But… if there's even the tiniest chance that I can get through to him, I have to take it. I just want my family to be whole again."

Felix sighed, realizing that he couldn't change her mind, but frustration still bubbled furiously in his gut. He wanted nothing more than to march up to Annette's father and give him a piece of his mind. In his current form, however, he couldn't do anything except offer words of support―something he was never good at. Still, he had to at least try. Annette had done so much for him, and he hated not being able to do anything in return.

"Annette," he began. "If I ever turn back into a human, I won't ever abandon you."

She whipped her head towards him, eyes wide. "What?"

"I won't abandon you," he repeated firmly. "I swear it."

She blinked a few times, and then tears started streaming down her face. Felix cursed and immediately began apologizing, but Annette cut him off. "No, no, it's okay. I'm okay. It's just…" She paused to sniffle and wipe her face. "That's the sweetest thing you've ever said. Thank you."

"Don't mention it," he grumbled, his throat suddenly feeling tight. He gave into the instinctive urge to hide underwater, but he stubbornly kept his eyes and nose above the surface.

"You're blushing again," Annette pointed out.

"Sh-shut up! I am not!" Felix snapped.

She laughed at him, and despite his embarrassment, he felt warm. He'd managed to cheer her up, and that was more than worth the hit to his pride. Saints, he was ridiculously far gone for this woman.

The warmth vanished the instant he remembered that this couldn't last. What the hell was he thinking, making a promise he couldn't keep? Even if he regained his human form, he wouldn't be able to stay with Annette. And he still hadn't told her his true identity. It pained him, but he knew he couldn't keep up this charade any longer. She deserved to know the truth.

"Annette, there's something I have to―"

"Felix, hide."

He was so surprised at being cut off and Annette's sharp tone that he didn't process her words at first. "What?"

"Someone's coming! Hide! _Now_!"

The urgency in her voice finally spurred him into action. He slipped beneath the surface and dove until he was sure he couldn't be seen. He instinctively expelled all the air from his lungs and his gills immediately leapt into action, drawing fresh water through his mouth and nose. The whole process took only seconds, but it felt alien and uncomfortable.

He looked up at Annette's boat floating above him and swore under his breath. How did she realize someone was coming before he did? The boat headed for shore and he cautiously followed until the water became too shallow to conceal him. Nonetheless, he kept watching and listening, hoping to get a better idea of what was happening above the surface. At last, he faintly heard Annette's voice over the water's constant dull drone.

"What are you doing here, Lady Cornelia?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've reached a huge milestone! As of this chapter's publishing date, I have the finished writing the story's climax! All that's left is another chapter or two of resolution and maybe an epilogue, and I'll be done! As such, I may change the chapter count, but it won't be by more than one or two.
> 
> As for this chapter... I was really excited to share it, because it's one of my personal favorites. As this is the first chapter Felix gets to actually talk since the very start of the story, I had a ton of fun writing his voice.
> 
> Also I had no idea where my plot was going until I was almost done writing this chapter, lol. I discover my plot as I write.


	8. Arrival and Departure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW near the end of the chapter for mildly graphic injury description.

Annette valued preparation above all else. Constant studying, hours of work, and countless sleepless nights led her to her current position. She didn't believe in stumbling into answers or random guesses. The only true road to success, in her mind, was simply to cover all of her bases and be ready for any possible situation.

Unexpected problems that she had no immediate answer to were not her forte. And the sudden appearance of Lady Cornelia Arnim, one of the most powerful mages in all of Fódlan, here at Lake Ninis was the biggest, most unexpected problem she had ever come across. With Felix's safety on the line, though, she had no choice but to rise to the challenge.

"What are you doing here, Lady Cornelia?" she demanded. She sounded a lot braver than she felt.

Cornelia's eyes roved over her, sizing her up, and a sly smirk spread across her face. "My, aren't you cheeky? I certainly hope you don't speak to your professors like that."

Annette resisted the urge to wince. "My apologies. You surprised me, that's all."

Cornelia laughed. The sound was not at all pleasant. "There's no need to apologize. I admire a mage with a little fire in them. But why the surprise? Surely you must have sensed my presence."

"I did, milady. I just didn't realize it was you. It's not typical for a mage of your caliber to visit a place so… remote."

"Well, can you blame me for being curious as to why one of the Royal School of Sorcery's most promising young mages would visit the same backwater location three times in the span of a year?"

"You know me?!" Annette squeaked.

"Why, of course!" Cornelia exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Pretty much everyone with ties to the Royal School of Sorcery knows your story. The young scion of House Dominic who started from the lowest of lows but managed to scrabble her way to the top of her class. It's really quite inspiring."

"I'm sure it is," Annette said dryly.

"Yes, and it is precisely why I can't understand why you would come to this place," Cornelia continued. "If it were anyplace interesting, that would be one thing, but Lake Ninis? I can't imagine how anything in this drab little puddle would intrigue you."

Annette considered her words carefully. "Surely even you have heard of the rumors swirling around the lake."

"My dear, who do you take me for? I was sent to investigate this lake once before."

"You―" Annette spluttered, flustered by her misstep. "Right, of course you were. I can't believe I forgot."

"Well, it has been a few years since then, and I'm sure a busy young lady like you wouldn't be able to remember every little mission to this place." Cornelia crossed her arms and turned towards the water. "Goddess, this lake hasn't changed a bit since the last time I was here. Yet the common folk still scream and quiver about some sort of curse. Rumors certainly have a way of getting out of hand, don't they?"

"Rumors don't spawn without some sort of evidence, though," Annette pointed out.

"True, but no one's found anything to substantiate the claims. Imagine my disappointment at being sent all the way out here only to find that it's a dull, ordinary lake. Any trouble is merely the result of some restless aquatic life. Leave it to foolish people to blow the tiniest things out of proportion."

"I believe they aren't just rumors, milady," said Annette.

"Oh?" Cornelia raised an eyebrow. "Are you insinuating that I overlooked something?"

Annette swallowed thickly. "Of course not, milady."

"Then you admit that this little expedition is a waste of your time and talent?"

"I…" Annette desperately grasped for a plausible excuse. "I merely wish to alleviate the people's fears. Maybe all the trouble is just because of a fish, but no one's actually proved it. Not even you, milady."

Cornelia snorted. "How noble of you. I personally don't see the appeal of attempting to reason with people fueled by paranoia. A mage of your skill shouldn't have to deal with the rabble."

"With all due respect, Lady Cornelia, I'm perfectly happy where I'm at."

"If you say so," Cornelia sighed. "Just remember that if you ever change your mind, I'd be more than happy to throw in a good word for you."

"That's very flattering, milady,” said Annette. “I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

"Please do," Cornelia crooned. "Well then, my dear, I'll leave you to your little project. I'm sure you're very busy."

"Yes. Very."

"Then far be it from me to get in your way. Take care, Miss Dominic. I'm sure we will meet again soon." With a swish of her dress, Cornelia was gone.

Annette moaned and collapsed to the ground. Her heart was still racing out of control and her palms were clammy. "That was too close…"

"Annette?"

"BAH!" She whirled her head around so quickly that she almost gave herself whiplash. "Felix! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Felix gave her an incredulous look. "How can you detect another mage before they're even in sight but not hear me come out of the water?"

"It's not the same! And you need to be louder!" Annette snapped.

Admittedly, she was being a little harsh, but she was too flustered to care. She still wasn't used to Felix being able to talk. She also hadn't expected him to have such a nice voice. He got a little growly when he was upset, but otherwise his voice was clear, smooth, and pleasantly deep. She didn't think it was possible for her to fall even more in love with him, but he continued to surprise her at every turn.

"I'll keep that in mind," Felix said, unperturbed as ever. "So, that woman you were talking to... I didn't catch everything, but she sounded like trouble."

"You're not wrong," Annette remarked. "That was Lady Cornelia Arnim. She's one of the most powerful mages in all of Fódlan, but I think she's let her position go to her head. She looks down on the common people like they're not worth her time, and she's very prideful about her skill. I don't want to think about what she would have done if she found you."

Felix growled softly. "First your professor, then your father, and now this… Is everyone you know an asshole?"

Annette was aghast. "Felix! First of all, that's terribly rude, and second of all, no, not everyone I know is like that! I have friends and family I love, you know!"

"Oh, right. I forgot about that friend you brought here once. She didn't seem too bad."

"Huh? Oh, you mean Mercedes! I would certainly hope you have nothing bad to say about her. She's my best friend."

"What's she like?" Felix asked.

Annette smiled. That curious tilt of his head was as endearing as ever. "She's the kindest, sweetest person you'll ever meet, and she gives the best advice! But she's also strong-willed and won't back down if she feels threatened. Oh, and she makes the best sweets in the whole kingdom! I'd love to share some with you sometime!"

"No thanks. I don't like sweets."

"Oh." Her face flushed as she realized she had been presumptuous again. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal."

"If you say so…"

Annette could not understand how Felix could jump from ill-mannered to considerate at the drop of a hat. It was yet another quality that fascinated her. She loved how he always kept her on her toes, making every encounter with him feel fresh and exciting. His uncouth behavior sometimes drove her up the wall, but she wouldn't miss these precious moments for anything.

Goddess help her, she was smitten.

"Anyway," Felix interjected. "Back to what that Cornelia woman was saying… She called you 'Miss Dominic'. So, you're from House Dominic?"

There he went blindsiding her again. She smiled sheepishly and played with a stray strand of her hair. "Ah, I never did tell you that, did I? Cat's out of the bag, I guess. My full name is Annette Fantine Dominic. I'm not actually the heir to the house, though. I'm sorry I haven't been completely truthful."

"Don't apologize." Felix suddenly looked ashamed. "I… I haven't been entirely honest about who I am, either. I wanted to tell you earlier, but…"

"Felix?"

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, seeming resigned. "Felix Hugo Fraldarius. That's my real name."

Annette felt like she had been slapped. _Fraldarius_? All this time, her Felix, the man she had fallen in love with, was the long-lost Fraldarius heir. At first, she wanted to deny it―Felix Fraldarius was supposed to be _dead_ ―but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that all the evidence had been right in front of her.

Felix admitted that he had fled from home after his older brother died. That matched up with the Fraldarius family: the older son, Glenn, died in battle, and the younger son, Felix, ran away shortly afterward. Furthermore, sightings of the younger Fraldarius dropped off around the same time that Lake Ninis's witch perished, and no one ever found his body. Felix had also mentioned that he didn't want to return to a place that treated him as a "glorified shield". House Fraldarius was often referred to as the Shield of Faerghus.

She felt like a fool for not putting the pieces together until now.

"I'm sorry I hid the truth from you," Felix said sadly. "I didn't want my identity or my family name to pressure you. But now I've gone and made a promise I don't know if I'll be able to keep. Since you've been willing to put up with an asshole like me for this long, you deserve the whole truth. I'm sorry. You deserve better than me, Annette."

"Felix, no!" She dashed into the water, heedless of the cold and her increasingly wet clothes.

"What the hell, Annette?!" Felix cursed as he rushed to meet her. "Are you trying to get sick?! Get out of the water!"

"No! First, you listen to me!" she snapped, pointing squarely at his forehead. "You do not get to tell me what I deserve! That's the same stupid logic my father used! The last thing I want is to lose another person I care about because they think they're not worthy of me!"

Felix looked thunderstruck. His slit-shaped pupils were blown wide and his mouth hung slightly agape. At last, he lowered his head and huffed a humorless laugh. "If you're comparing me to your father, then I really screwed up."

"Hey." Annette lifted his chin, forcing him to look at her. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You're listening to me, which is already a great improvement over my father."

"You have an awful lot of faith in me," Felix noted.

"Of course I do," said Annette. "You're kinder than you realize, Felix. You may not always say or do the right thing, but I can tell you're trying. That's why I won't give up on you. Not now, not ever."

"Even though I hid who I was?"

"Hey, I'm just as guilty as you are."

He gave her a blank look. "You haven't been considered dead for nearly six years."

"I admit, I was surprised to learn you were Felix Fraldarius," she said, smiling gently. "But that doesn't change how I feel about you."

"What?"

"My friend Mercedes says a person's true worth is found within, and I couldn't agree more. Sure, you may be the lost Fraldarius heir, but―" she poked his nose, "―you're still the same rude villain you were before. No title or curse will ever change that."

A quiet moment passed, and then Felix gently took hold of her hand. "Thank you, Annette."

 _Tell him,_ a voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Mercedes whispered. _Tell him you love him._

"You're very welcome," she said instead, like a coward.

* * *

A few days passed. As always, Annette could not spend all of her time with Felix because of other visitors to the lake. During the times she was alone, she studied her textbooks and continued researching dark magic runes. She wasn't having any luck, but it at least kept her busy.

One night, tired of running into dead ends, she closed her book with a huff and retrieved her satchel. She opened it up and took out Felix's scale. It wasn't the first time she had done this, and she knew it wouldn't be the last. No trace of the curse remained on it once it was removed from his body, enabling her to view it without invoking her suppression spells.

The scale was roughly the size and thickness of a coin and smooth to the touch. It reflected the firelight and, like its owner, held an ethereal beauty. Anyone could tell at a glance that no ordinary creature produced it. It was the perfect proof to bring back to the School of Sorcery, but she once again questioned if that was the right thing to do. Her encounter with Cornelia had been far too close for comfort, and showing this to her professors would put Felix in even more danger. He had said he'd be fine, but she couldn't help but worry.

On the other hand, if she didn't show proof, she wouldn't be able to see Felix until she graduated, which wouldn't be for another year. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to wait that long, and Felix would be furious with her. The more she thought about it, the less appealing the idea sounded.

She sighed and tucked the scale back into her satchel. It was very late now, and she needed to get some sleep. She grabbed her bucket and took water from the lake in order to put out her campfire. A loud hiss filled the air as dark smoke and steam replaced the bright orange flames. She placed the bucket on the ground and started heading towards her tent, but the sound of a twig snapping froze her in place.

The hair on the back of her neck rose. Someone was watching her, and she had a feeling they were anything but friendly. She turned toward the woods, scared but determined. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

A snort. "Guess the jig is up."

The next thing she knew, men were charging out of the trees. She quickly realized two things. First, these men were clearly bandits. And second, she was vastly outnumbered.

She couldn't tell how many bandits there were in total, only that there were a _lot_. She quickly spread her legs apart and flexed her fingers, ready to show these brutes that she was no defenseless maiden. Bandit attacks weren't uncommon throughout Fódlan, but it was unusual for such a large group to target one person. Annette smelled a rat.

She launched blasts of Wind to knock the bandits back. A Saggitae felled one but more quickly took his place. She retreated towards Lake Ninis, knowing that the water would help prevent her from becoming surrounded. Then she released a Cutting Gale, which sliced through three bandits at once. A few more hastily aimed Wind spells knocked more of the bandits down, but they quickly recovered and resumed their charge.

Annette swallowed, realizing she was going to have to pull out all the stops. She readied an Excalibur, the most powerful spell in her arsenal, but a sudden explosion of pain in her shoulder stopped her cold. She stumbled backwards into the water, quickly realizing an arrow was sticking out of her shoulder. An instant later, two bandits tackled her to the ground. With her arms pinned behind her back, she was helpless. Another one of the bandits approached her, and based on his garb and build, she guessed he was the leader.

"What do you want from me?" she demanded. "If it's gold you want, then take it!"

The bandit leader grinned. "What we seek is worth more than all the gold you've got!"

"Boss!" a bandit called. "I think we've found it!"

He jogged up to the leader, clutching something in his hand. Annette's blood ran cold as he opened his hand, revealing Felix's scale.

"NO!" she shrieked. "You can't take that!"

"Sounds like we've hit the jackpot!" the bandit leader laughed. "Thank you so much for your help, girlie."

Annette went very pale. "No…"

"Men! We're heading out!" the bandit leader ordered. "As for the girl… I have no more use for her. Kill her if you wish."

Annette's heart dropped. So, this was the end. Dying a pathetic death in the middle of nowhere. She'd never see her father, mother, or Mercie again. And Felix… If he wasn't killed, he'd be cursed forever. He'd never know that she loved him.

She saw the glint of an axe as it was raised over her head and closed her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, a tear rolling down her face.

A loud scream tore through the air, and suddenly the pressure on her back lessened. Using all her strength, she managed to wrest herself free and rolled to her feet. She blasted one bandit with Cutting Gale and began searching for the other one that had pinned her. She soon spotted him, along with a whole lot of blood.

"Oh, no…" she muttered. She hurried deeper into the water, but it was immediately apparent that he was dead. Upon closer inspection, she saw he had cuts on his arms and several deep puncture wounds in his neck. Furthermore, his throat appeared to have been crushed. The wounds were strangely shaped. It almost looked like something had bitten into his neck.

Annette covered her mouth, feeling the urge to throw up. Saints, it _was_ a bite mark.

"So, the lake is home to a beast," said the bandit leader. "And it seems to like you, girlie."

"I won't let you hurt him!" Annette shouted.

He snorted. "I'm not a fool. I've already lost far too many of my men to you and that beast. Besides, my work here is done. You've done me a big favor, girlie."

"Wait!" she cried, only to be forced to dive for cover when another arrow shot towards her. By the time she got back to her feet, all the bandits had disappeared into the woods. Her heart sank and she fell to her knees, hugging herself due to pain, cold, and despair.

"I failed," she sobbed softly. "They got away."

A gentle hand touched her leg. Felix. Right, he was still here. She began feeling around for his bracelet, knowing that they needed to talk. Once he was visible and above the surface, she addressed him.

"Felix…"

"Annette…"

"I'm sorry," they blurted at the same time.

Annette gaped at him. "Wait, what are you sorry for?"

"You saw what I did to that bandit. That man was right. I'm nothing but a beast."

"Felix…" She gently cupped his cheek. "You're not a beast. Beasts don't feel remorse. Besides, you saved my life. If anyone should be sorry, it's me. I let those men get away with your scale, and now your life is in danger."

Felix shook his head. "I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you. That was no random attack."

"Cornelia," Annette gasped. "I'll bet anything she's behind this. I should have figured she wouldn't let me go so easily."

"If that woman dares to show her face here again, I'll make sure she regrets it," Felix growled.

"No, Felix. If she finds you, she'll kill you without hesitation. It's best that you stay hidden."

"So I'm just supposed to do nothing?! Annette, you almost died because of her!"

"I know, I know," Annette conceded. She took a deep breath, knowing what she had to do. "That's why I can't come back here."

"What?!"

"Cornelia values her reputation over anything else. She probably feels threatened because I succeeded where she couldn't. But if I tell my professors I found nothing here, she'll have no more reason to pursue me or you."

"Are you crazy?! She knows I'm here now!"

"I know, but your curse will still protect you from her. Without me, she will never find you. And she won't dare attack me at the Royal School of Sorcery. This is the only way we can both be safe. I'm sorry, but this is good-bye."

She turned to leave, but Felix grabbed her wrist. "No! I won't let you do this!"

"I _have_ to do this," Annette insisted.

"No, you don't! There has to be another way!"

"I wish there was. But until I can figure out how to deal with Cornelia or break your curse for good, it's not safe for me to keep seeing you."

"Annette―"

"Good-bye, Felix."

She unleashed a weak Wind spell to force him to let go, and then she ran. Tears freely streamed down her face as a sob burst free from her lungs. The throbbing in her shoulder felt so far away now, eclipsed by the pain within her heart.

 _This is the right thing to do,_ she told herself firmly. _This is the only way I can protect him now. I'm so sorry, Felix_. _I love you too much to let you die._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be honest. I've only played Three Houses all the way through once (playing Silver Snow) and I'm still only at the pre-timeskip Wyvern Moon in Azure Moon, so my only experience with Cornelia is through wikis and other people's fanfiction. I hope I haven't completely butchered her.
> 
> Also I am utter garbage at writing action and fighting scenes. I'm not very proud of that battle scene. It's easily one of my weakest sections in the whole fic. Other than that, though, I'm pretty happy with this chapter.
> 
> I didn't put that "Light Angst" tag there for nothing. There's gonna be quite a bit more sad ahead before all is resolved.
> 
> I also changed the chapter count again... Hopefully this will be the last time that will happen, but we'll see!


	9. Alone

Felix had never been a religious sort, but he was now convinced the goddess didn't exist. What sort of benevolent deity would continuously rip away everything he loved? His mother, Glenn, his body, and now Annette, all lost to him permanently.

The witch's words rang ominously in his head. _"I will take away everything you hold dear!"_ He never imagined that he would find anything else to lose. Then Annette entered his life, and just as suddenly as she came, she was gone.

To his credit, he had tried to stop her, but his current body rendered land travel nearly impossible. His tail was dead weight out of the water, forcing him to drag himself along the ground using his arms. The process was agonizingly slow and painful. Rocks kept digging into his sensitive fins and membranes, and his tail was far heavier than he realized.

Annette had gaped at his stubbornness, but then gave him a pitying look. They both knew that he would never catch up to her on land, and she didn't have the physical strength to throw him back in the lake. She instead turned away from him as she tended to her wounded shoulder and packed her belongings. He was still several paces away from her camp when he felt an odd pull on his body. An instant later, an enormous wave washed over him and dragged him away. It felt disturbingly similar to when he had first been cursed. After he righted himself, he tried to breach the surface again, but that blasted barrier was back. Annette had obviously made sure her magic wouldn't last long this time. He attacked the barrier with everything he had, screaming, crying, _pleading_ for Annette, but it remained as impenetrable as ever. At last, he became too exhausted to fight anymore and sank to the lakebed. He curled in on himself and sobbed quietly as he felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces.

His world turned gray after that night. Without Annette to look forward to, each day felt dull and lifeless. While he understood Annette's logic and took comfort in the fact that she was safe, he hated that it came with such a high cost. Now that he had had a taste of freedom and regular human contact, his existence felt lonelier and more miserable than ever. If that weren't enough, Annette just had to give him false hope by losing her hairpin in the lake again.

He'd found it the morning after she left him. It was lying in the rocks a short distance offshore. She must have lost it during her struggle with those bandits. Felix attached it to his bracelet in order to keep it safe, and he hoped against hope that she would come back to retrieve it, but she never did.

A part of him felt like he had gotten what he deserved after brutally killing that bandit. When he saw Annette's life was in danger, all his rational thought vanished and the beast inside him unleashed its full fury. He ripped the man off Annette, wrestled with him a bit, and then crushed his windpipe with a single brutal bite.

For hours afterward, all he could smell and taste was blood. With Annette gone, guilt and disgust assaulted him mercilessly, and he nearly retched several times. Even after he shoved the body onto shore, the memory of the attack continued to haunt him, and he felt every bit as monstrous as he looked.

Before long, his days started blurring together. On most days, he lingered in the deepest parts of the lake, where the water pressure helped ground him. He still heard Annette’s voice in his head, but it no longer brought him cheer. He only ascended to find food or occasionally to eavesdrop on people. Even in his despondent state, he was determined to find any information he could on Cornelia.

Cornelia actually visited the lake a few times. Felix could easily identify her by her voice. Each time, she cast a bunch of unidentifiable spells and tried to goad him out of hiding, but all her efforts failed. Cornelia became more and more agitated with every failure, and Felix suspected she would have blasted the whole lake to bits if she were able. Annette had been right, though: Cornelia was no match for his curse.

She was far from the only visitor, though. The bandits' mangled bodies brought forth a whole new wave of speculation. Rumors of a monster potentially lurking in Lake Ninis brought all sorts of curious types. People quickly figured out that most of the bodies had been damaged by Wind spells, but the one Felix had bitten drew the most attention. No one could explain the injury, and numerous wild theories emerged as a result. Like with Cornelia, though, his curse rendered all their efforts futile.

The water gradually warmed as spring turned to summer, but the ache in Felix's heart remained as potent as ever. He missed Annette so much, and knowing that she wasn't coming back made him feel like he had fallen into an endless black abyss. Somehow, it managed to be worse than his physical imprisonment.

It was during one of those miserable, long, lonely days that Lake Ninis received an unusual visitor. They were strangely chatty for someone apparently alone, as no one ever responded to them. They would speak for a bit, pause, and then speak again. It quickly got annoying and Felix approached the surface to see what the heck was going on.

"Hello? Are you there?"

He could make out the voice now. It was very feminine, soft, and almost cloyingly sweet. It also sounded vaguely familiar. He frowned and tried to think where he had heard it before.

"You don't have to be afraid. I won't hurt you."

Felix massaged his temples, feeling a headache starting to bloom. Who the hell was this woman talking to? Her blathering was making it impossible for him to gather his thoughts.

"Felix, you're Annie's friend, right? She's my friend, too! She told me all about you. I understand if you're wary, but I promise that you have nothing to worry about."

Realization hit him with all the force of a warhammer. He knew that nickname. This was Annette's friend, Mercedes. But why was she here, and why was she calling for _him_?

The first thing he had to do was let her know that he had heard her, so he swam towards her voice until he was just a few feet offshore and smacked the barrier with his tail. A soft "Oh!" from Mercedes informed him that she got the message. A pair of legs covered by a dress entered the water and ran up to him, and Felix looked up and met the smiling face of Annette's dearest friend.

Mercedes was obviously a woman of the cloth based on her garb, which made her presence here even more puzzling. Surely the Church of Seiros would not approve of one of their nuns running off alone to a place as isolated and infamous as Lake Ninis. Mercedes also looked remarkably calm despite interacting with something she couldn't see or hear. It seemed like Annette's friends were as surprising as she was.

"So, you're Felix! It's nice to finally meet you," said Mercedes. She politely extended her hand underwater. "I heard everything from Annie. You can't be seen or heard so you wrote on her hand to talk with her."

_Yes,_ Felix traced on her palm. Frustration bubbled up inside him. He hated being reduced to this form of communication again.

"You must be very lonely," Mercedes said sadly.

_What are you doing here?_ he asked.

"I came to apologize on Annie's behalf. It wasn't right of her to leave you like that. But please don't be angry with her. She gets terribly impulsive at times, but she always means well."

_I'm not angry._ While he hated that Annette left him without warning, he was more upset with himself for getting so attached to her in the first place. Deep down, he always knew she would eventually have to leave him for good. Fool that he was, though, he fell for her anyway. He was pathetic.

"I'm happy to hear that," Mercedes remarked. "Still, I'm sorry you had to go through such a horrible experience. Annie must have hurt you terribly."

_I'm fine,_ Felix wrote, but Mercedes didn't look convinced.

"You don't have to pretend that you're alright. I can tell that you're hurting," she said. "I'll be sure to give Annie a good talking-to the next time I see her. This separation has been terrible for her, too."

_What do you mean?_

"I paid her a visit about a moon ago, and she didn't look like herself. She tried very hard to hide it, but I could tell she was feeling down, so I got the whole story out of her. She insisted she was fine, but it was clear to me that she was still hurting. She misses you, Felix. I know it."

_It doesn't matter. She's not coming back._

Mercedes gave him a pitying look. "Please don't give up. Annie only did this because she cares about you. She cares for you so much that she gave up her most precious possession for your sake."

It took a moment for Felix to realize that she was talking about Annette's hairpin. _I have it with me,_ he wrote.

"You do?" Mercedes exclaimed. In response, he gently detached the hairpin from his bracelet and placed it in her hand. She lifted it out of the water and examined it. "You kept it all this time?"

_Of course. But I'm sure Annette wants it back._

"Oh, Felix…" She smiled sadly and placed her hand that held the hairpin in his. "Actually, I think you should hang onto it."

_Why?_

"You found it, so you should be the one to give it back to her. Plus, this is the second time she's dropped it in this lake. Maybe this will help teach her to be more careful."

_I can't take this,_ Felix wrote insistently. _She might never come back._

"Felix. Do you really think Annie would abandon you?" Mercedes asked sternly.

He paused for a moment. This was Annette they were talking about. Annette, who didn't flinch in fear at his monstrous body. Annette, who brushed off his sharp tongue like it was nothing. Annette, who had vowed to break his curse even if it took the rest of her life.

_No,_ he wrote at last.

"There you go, then," Mercedes said with a smile. "Annie won't give up on you, so don't give up on her, okay?"

_Okay. I won't,_ he promised. Then, he admitted, _I don't want to lose her._

"Don't worry. I'll make sure that doesn't happen. I know Annie would hate to lose you, too." She squeezed his hand gently. "I hope we can resolve this soon and get Annie back to her cheerful self. I miss seeing her smile."

Felix did too, but couldn't bring himself to admit it. Instead, he wrote, _Thank you._

"You're very welcome," Mercedes said, beaming. "I'm so glad I finally got the chance to talk to you."

_You didn't have to trouble yourself,_ Felix wrote.

"Of course I did!" she exclaimed. "I couldn't stand by and do nothing while Annie was suffering, and seeing you in the same state proves I was right to come here. I may not be able to completely fix the situation, but I want to help any way I can."

_Won't you get in trouble with the church?_

"Helping others is one of the goddess's teachings. If anyone in the church disapproves, they're the ones in the wrong."

_If you say so. Be careful all the same._

Mercedes smiled. "You're very sweet, Felix. I can see why Annie likes you so much!"

Hot embarrassment flushed his face, and he was glad she couldn't see him. _Shut up._

"You remind me of my little brother," she giggled. "A little moody, but deep down you mean well."

The word "brother" drew bile into Felix's throat. Not wanting to continue down this line of thought, he wrote, _If you're done messing with me, get going._

"Oh, I'm sorry if I offended you," Mercedes said quickly. "And you're right. I should get going before anyone else comes. Stay safe, Felix. And no matter what happens, never give up hope." With that, she released his hand and disappeared from sight.

Felix looked down at the hairpin resting in his palm. "Hope, huh?" he muttered. He didn't like to put stock in something as fleeting and immaterial as hope, but Mercedes had a point. Hope was all he had left. Without it, he'd have nothing else to live for.

He hadn't realized just how far he had fallen until Mercedes brought him to his senses. At the rate he was going, he probably would have fallen prey to the beast inside him. If he ever regained his human form, he'd have to thank her for that. Until then, he had to keep believing in Annette. He had to believe that she would find a way to get Cornelia off their backs and break his curse.

_Forgive me, Annette. This time, I swear I won't give up on you. I'll wait for you until the end of my days._

His resolve renewed, he carefully hooked the hairpin back onto his bracelet and headed back into deeper water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the sadness continues. Mercedes invaded this chapter without my consent while I was trying to think of ways to make it longer, but I think it worked out, even though this is still one of the shortest chapters in the fic.
> 
> I feel a bit bad about a short update when the last chapter I wrote took me so long... This fic has been fighting me tooth and nail... On the plus side, every chapter I currently have written after this point is over 4,000 words long, so the next few updates will be fairly beefy by comparison.
> 
> We'll be hitting the climax soon, folks! Stay tuned!


	10. A Storm Brews

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kurakynr made more [fanart](https://kurakynr.tumblr.com/post/628337783017291776/fanart-for-lunaclefairys-sweet-treats-scales?is_related_post=1) for this fic! Please enjoy it before we begin!
> 
> And now, on to your regularly scheduled chapter!

Annette was, in a word, miserable.

Returning to the School of Sorcery with her tail between her legs ( _scales and tails,_ her brain mocked) and willingly getting herself banned from returning to Lake Ninis was easily the lowest point in her entire academic career. Professor Selena had been disappointed in a very "I told you so" way, which stung since Annette knew the truth.

Worse than that, though, was the knowledge that she had hurt Felix in her bid to protect him. He had given her such a devastated look when she left him, and she couldn't get that expression out of her head. Nor could she forget how he'd been so desperate that he crawled onto land after her until the lake swallowed him up again. The sight haunted her every night, and guilt threatened to eat her alive. She was a far worse villain than Felix had ever been.

Despite that, she was glad Felix was safe. The pain and guilt were a price she would freely pay as long as it kept him out of Cornelia's clutches. She'd even given up her beloved hairpin for him, although to be fair, that was only because she once again didn't realize she had lost it until long after she had left Lake Ninis. She really needed to be more observant.

Losing her hairpin again stung, but the pain paled in comparison to losing Felix. A year ago she would have risked life and limb for that hairpin―in fact, that's what led her to Felix in the first place―but now, she had something far more precious that she wished to protect. The irony was not lost on her.

The problem now was that she had no idea what to do about Cornelia. Cornelia had visited Annette several times and kept dropping not so subtle hints about a beast living in Lake Ninis. Annette refused to rise to the bait and feigned ignorance, which frustrated Cornelia endlessly. Annette wondered how much longer she'd be able to keep up the charade before Cornelia snapped.

Annette coped with all the pain and confusion swirling inside her by throwing herself into her work. It was much easier to not think about her feelings than it was to confront them. If anyone asked her what was wrong, she pasted a fake smile on her face and brushed their concerns away. This worked on most people, but she should have known she couldn't fool Mercedes.

Mercedes visited Annette early in the Garland Moon and saw right through her fake cheer. She demanded to know what had happened, and Annette had no choice but to confess everything to her. Once Annette finished, Mercedes's expression turned sympathetic. "Oh, Annie," she muttered before enveloping Annette in a hug.

"Thanks Mercie," Annette responded. "I'm doing a lot better now, though."

"You don't look like you are," Mercedes noted.

"I'm fine. Really," Annette insisted.

Mercedes clearly didn't believe her, but didn't push the subject. She didn't bring Felix up again until two moons later when she visited a second time. They had just sat down for tea in Annette's dorm room when Mercedes blurted, "I saw Felix."

Annette was exceedingly glad she hadn't sipped her tea yet, because she was sure she would have spat it everywhere in shock. "You WHAT?!"

"Well, I didn't exactly _see_ him since he's invisible, but I paid him a visit," Mercedes clarified. "I wanted to see how he was doing since obviously you can't."

"I― You― MERCIE!" Annette spluttered. "What were you thinking?! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?!"

"Of course I did. I made sure to be careful. No one saw us."

"That's not the point! If Lady Cornelia finds out about this―"

"She won't. Like I said, no one saw us. And it's not like you'll tell her I was there."

Annette groaned. She grudgingly admitted Mercedes had a point. "I still don't like that you went to Lake Ninis by yourself without at least telling me."

"If I told you, you would have tried to stop me," Mercedes countered.

Annette opened and shut her mouth several times before slumping over with a moan. Once again, her friend was absolutely right.

"Here," Mercedes said, handing her a scone. "Have something to eat, and I'll tell you everything."

"Okay…" She took a bite and tried not to feel annoyed at how easily the pastry improved her mood.

"Felix was terribly hurt when you left," Mercedes began, and Annette felt the scone turn rotten in her stomach. "He'd convinced himself that you were never coming back."

"What?" The scone slipped free from Annette's grip and fell to the table, forgotten. "No…"

This was worse than she thought. She didn't realize that she had crushed all of Felix's hopes when she left. Her throat constricted painfully, her mouth went dry, and her eyes burned with tears she refused to shed. As awful she felt now, it was nothing compared to what she had put Felix through.

"Calm down, Annie. I talked some sense into him," Mercedes assured.

"Even so… I'm a terrible person, Mercie," Annette whimpered.

"No, you're not. You just did what you thought was right."

"But Mercie, I hurt him…"

"Annie." Mercedes set her teacup down with a clack. "It's good that you recognize your mistakes, but dwelling on them isn't going to help. What you should be thinking about now is how to fix this."

"I know," Annette sighed. She curled her fingers around her teacup and stared at her reflection in the tea, as if it could offer her an answer. "That's just it, though. I don't know how to even begin to fix this."

"If it helps, Felix isn't angry with you," Mercedes pointed out.

Annette smiled ruefully. "He's too kind."

"You really should tell him how you feel."

Annette's shoulders slumped as another sigh escaped her. "I almost did, but I chickened out at the last second. And now I don't know if or when I'll get another chance."

"Oh, Annie…" Mercedes reached over and placed a comforting hand over Annette's.

"I really messed up, Mercie," Annette sobbed, unable to hold back her tears anymore. "How can I possibly tell him my feelings after what I did to him?"

"Ssh, ssh, it's okay," Mercedes soothed. "You know what Felix told me? He said that he didn't want to lose you."

Annette blinked, sure she had heard wrong. "What?"

"He cares for you, Annie. And he promised me that he wouldn't give up on you."

"Felix…" she murmured. "How can someone so villainous be so kind and forgiving?"

"Because he believes in you, Annie," Mercedes explained, smiling warmly. "And you should believe in him, too. As long as you keep trusting and believing in each other, I'm sure you'll both find a way through this."

"Mercie… Thank you," Annette sniffled as she wiped her eyes. "You're right. I can't give up now. Not when I've come this far."

"That's the Annie I know!" Mercedes proclaimed. "But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's enjoy our tea."

"Oh, of course!" Annette exclaimed as she scooped up her dropped scone.

The conversation improved her mood immensely and she felt some of her old fire return. The guilt and pain didn't completely go away, but they didn't drag her down as much. However, she still had no idea how she was going to get Cornelia to stop hounding her and Felix. Her dark magic research was at a standstill, so she wouldn't be able to break Felix's curse anytime soon. She'd have to figure out a different way to solve this issue.

She considered making contact with her old classmates from the Officer's Academy, particularly Sylvain Gautier and Ingrid Galatea. She vaguely remembered them mentioning at some point that Felix was their childhood friend. Yet even if she told them of Felix's fate, she wasn't sure if they'd believe her. On top of that, what could they even do? They knew even less about dark magic than she did, and the last thing she wanted was to give Cornelia more potential targets. In the end, she opted to stay silent and figure out the problem on her own.

Weeks passed without any viable solutions coming to light, and before she knew it, the Horsebow Moon had arrived, bringing the first chill of fall with it. Annette remained as busy as ever, both in studying and in assisting the professors with instructing classes and various menial tasks. At this rate, she was going to spend another long, lonely winter pining after Felix. She was pathetic.

Even so, she continued to throw herself into each task with gusto, even though it often resulted in her taking on more work than she could handle. She would've thought she would know her limits by now, but her worker bee mentality continued to get the better of her. She found herself particularly regretting it as she balanced a giant stack of books in her arms while she carefully navigated a corridor. One of the professors had requested several books from the library, and Annette figured that it would be most efficient to bring them all at once. Big mistake.

Something bumped into her shin, and that small disturbance was all it took for her to lose her balance and tumble to the floor, scattering the books everywhere. She hissed in pain and then groaned. Why did things―especially barrels―always seem to appear out of nowhere and trip her up?

"Oh! Are you all right?"

Annette picked herself off the ground and turned towards the voice. A red-haired young woman was standing over her and looking concerned. She wore one of the Royal School of Sorcery's signature purple and gold robes, so she was obviously a student.

"I'm fine, thanks," Annette assured. "Just tripped. It happens a lot."

"Here, let me help you," the student said.

"You don't have to do that," Annette protested, but the student was already picking up some of the scattered books.

"It's no big deal," the student countered. "Besides, you clearly need the help."

Annette opened her mouth to deny it, but promptly shut it, knowing the student was right. She quickly looked around and spotted her notebook among the spilled tomes and snatched it up before the other student could.

"Is that important to you?" the student asked.

"Oh, yes," Annette replied quickly. "There's some really, really embarrassing stuff in here, so no peeking!"

She took her notebook everywhere with her for fear that Cornelia would send someone to steal it from her room. If Cornelia ever got her hands on it, Felix would be at her mercy. Annette breathed a sigh of relief that her clumsiness hadn't ruined everything. Once she calmed down, she gathered the remaining books and got back on her feet. After thanking the other student, the two of them continued on their way to the professor's office.

"So, um," Annette began, wanting to fill the silence. "No offense, but you don't look familiar…"

"Well, I am pretty new here," the student responded. "I transferred just a few weeks ago. My name is Monica. Monica von Ochs."

"Oh!" Annette exclaimed. "You're the transfer student from Adrestia! It's nice to finally meet you. It's rare for us to get a new student in the middle of a term. I admire your fortitude."

Monica smiled. "That's pretty big praise coming from the famous Annette Dominic."

"Famous?!" Annette repeated. "I wouldn't go that far…"

"Don't be modest," Monica chided. "Pretty much everyone knows you have the highest exam scores of any student here in _decades_. Even I found out in less than a week of transferring."

Annette laughed nervously, but deep down she felt a rush of pride. She had heard praise like this from her professors, but she wasn't used to other students doing the same thing. She was saved from having to answer when they reached the professor's office. Annette knocked on the door before opening it and allowed Monica to enter first. She followed immediately afterward. The two women placed their books onto the professor's desk and then bid the professor and each other farewell.

As Annette made her way back to her dorm room, she got the strangest feeling that something wasn't quite right. It wasn't uncommon for her to trip on nothing, but this time she had felt something bump into her―and the only person or object that had been nearby had been Monica. However, it didn't make any sense for Monica to trip her and then help her. Unless… she really wanted something Annette was carrying.

Suddenly struck with anxiety, Annette flipped open her notebook. Her blood ran cold as her eyes met with blank sheets of paper. She turned the pages more and more frantically as her panic increased and confirmed her worst fears: every page was blank. Monica must have had the same kind of notebook as her and switched the two after Annette had dropped all the books. She immediately turned around and sprinted towards where Monica had been headed, hoping she wasn't too late.

Monica was long gone, so Annette asked some passersby if they'd seen her. Eventually, some students directed Annette to the dorm where Monica was staying. Annette thanked them profusely and quickly found Monica's room. In her panic, she didn't think to knock and yanked the door open.

Nothing could have prepared her for what she found inside.

Cornelia was sitting cross-legged at the desk and studying Annette's missing notebook. Near her stood Monica. Her look of surprise at Annette's intrusion changed into a smug smile.

"Ah, there you are, Miss Dominic," Cornelia said, closing the notebook.

"L-Lady Cornelia!" Annette squeaked. "What are you doing here?"

"I was merely paying a good friend of mine a visit," Cornelia replied. "She wanted to show me something she thought was very interesting."

"You two know each other?!" Annette exclaimed.

"Of course," Monica replied. "Lady Cornelia is the whole reason I'm here, after all."

"What?!" Annette shrieked.

Monica rolled her eyes. "Geez, for someone so smart, you sure are dense. Lady Cornelia hired me to spy on you under the guise of a transfer student. Worked like a charm, too. It was obvious that that notebook was really important to you since you carried it everywhere, so I just had to wait until you dropped your guard." She barked a laugh. "Didn't expect you to drop everything else along with it though."

"Why you…" Annette growled.

"I'm quite impressed, though," Cornelia interrupted. "Your notes are so very detailed and organized. Did you come up with those spells yourself?"

Annette swallowed thickly. "I did."

"Very impressive," Cornelia said. "A shame it will all go to waste. You've been a very naughty girl, Miss Dominic. Studying dark magic on the sly when both the School of Sorcery and the church strictly forbid it."

"I…" Annette desperately tried to think of an excuse, but nothing came to mind.

"Say no more," Cornelia interjected. "Now, of course, the right thing to do would be to turn this in to the headmaster, who will no doubt immediately expel you, but I've always been a woman open to negotiation. I'd be happy to keep this quiet… provided that you do me a little favor."

"That's not negotiation! That's _blackmail_!" Annette shrieked.

Cornelia shrugged. "Call it whatever you wish. Just remember that I hold your fate in my hands."

"What do you even need me for?" Annette demanded. "We both know what you really want. You easily could have just taken that notebook and ran."

Cornelia smiled. It was the smile of a huntress who had cornered her prey. "My dear, even you should know that one cannot catch fish without bait."

All of the blood drained from Annette's face. "No… No, you can't! I won't let you use me like that! I don't care if I'm expelled! I won't let you hurt Felix!"

"Felix?" Cornelia repeated. "So the beast has a name? Interesting… I didn't realize you were _that_ close to it."

"Stop that! Felix isn't a beast!" Annette protested.

"Why are you getting so defensive? There's nothing wrong with calling a beast a beast. Wait a moment, now I understand." Cornelia grinned wickedly. "It's written all over your face. You're in love with that monster!"

Annette's grimaced, but she held her ground. "If anyone's a monster, it's you."

A vein pulsed in Cornelia's forehead, and her expression slipped into an enraged scowl. She quickly regained her composure, but didn't bother concealing the contempt in her voice. "Well. I never imagined such words coming out of your mouth. It's obvious you've lost your mind, so for the safety of everyone in the school, I'll have to take you into custody." She snapped her fingers, and before Annette could even blink, Monica pounced and restrained Annette's hands behind her back.

"H-Hey!" Annette yelped as she felt cold metal clamp tightly around her wrists. "What are you―"

"I had really hoped it wouldn't come to this, but you've left me no choice," Cornelia sighed. "And don't even think of trying to blast your way out. Those shackles are specifically designed to suppress magic."

"You rotten―" Annette instinctively reached for her magic, but what felt like a solid wall blocked her way. She snarled and glared at Cornelia. "You had this planned from the start, didn't you?!"

"I prefer to think of it as being prepared," Cornelia said smoothly. "Now then, shall we get going?"

The next thing Annette knew, she was being led out of the School of Sorcery in chains. Several people asked what was going on, and Cornelia explained that Annette was being arrested for the illegal study of dark magic. Monica threw Annette inside a small iron carriage and slammed the door shut, leaving her in the dark except for the light leaking through the door's single small barred window. A moment later, the carriage lurched violently and she yelped as she slid into a wall. The continued shaking and bumping informed her that they were on the move.

Despite the shackles binding her wrists and her magic, she refused to give up without a fight. She stumbled to her feet and threw herself against the carriage door with all her might. Pain exploded in her shoulder as it made contact with solid iron, but the door didn't budge. A few more tackles only resulted in bruises that stretched from her shoulder to her elbow. She groaned, wishing she had taken a few more of those axe classes while at the Officer's Academy. Maybe they would have helped bulk up her tiny frame enough to bust down the door.

Resigned to her fate, Annette rested on her uninjured side and tried not to wince at every bump in the road. The journey ahead would be long and not at all pleasant.

Cornelia and Monica―or Kronya, as she called herself now; Cornelia had magically disguised her so she looked like the real Monica von Ochs―at least had the decency to provide food and regular breaks so Annette could relieve herself, but the experience was still degrading and humiliating. All the while, she was painfully aware that with each passing day she got closer to losing Felix.

Her heart broke when she thought about how he was going to die because of her. She didn't care what happened to her, but Felix didn't deserve to pay the price for her mistakes. His only crime had been to protect her, and now the real monsters were going to kill him just because of his appearance.

All too soon, the four day journey was over. The carriage rumbled to a halt and Kronya yanked the door open. "Get up. We're here."

In one last act of defiance, Annette did not move. Kronya huffed in frustration, marched up to her, and grabbed her by the collar. Annette choked out a yelp as Kronya yanked her to her feet.

"You'd do well to listen, girl," Kronya hissed. "Lady Cornelia ordered me to keep you alive for now, but she's willing to overlook a few minor injuries."

Annette responded by kicking Kronya's shin. Kronya snarled and moved behind Annette in the blink of an eye, putting her into a chokehold and holding a dagger dangerously close to her head.

"Don't tempt me," Kronya warned. "I'm more than happy to make your pretty little face bleed."

"Kronya, dear," Cornelia called. "Don't get too carried away with our prisoner. The beast needs to recognize the bait, after all."

Kronya scoffed but lowered the dagger. "Killjoy. You lucked out this time. Now come on."

She pushed Annette along, and although Annette dragged her feet as much as possible, Kronya eventually forced her out of the carriage. A light but steady rain was falling and quickly dampened Annette's clothes. Cornelia appeared after a moment and smiled brightly.

"Lovely day, isn't it, Miss Dominic?" she asked.

"Lovely," Annette sarcastically replied.

"I'm glad we're in agreement," Cornelia remarked. "Now then… Kronya, please step away."

Kronya did as instructed, and Annette immediately bolted, but she didn't make it more than two steps before a strange light enveloped her. After about a second of feeling like she was floating, a loud splash filled her ears and she nearly choked as water rushed into her mouth.

Warp. Of course a mage of Cornelia's skill would have mastered Warp.

Realizing that she was now in the middle of the lake, she kicked her legs as hard as she could and coughed after her head broke the surface. With her hands still chained behind her back and her clothes weighing her down, she was in danger of drowning.

She realized with shocking clarity that this had been Cornelia's plan all along. Felix had to have noticed the disturbance in the lake, and he would never let Annette drown. He'd leave the safety of the lake's depths to save her, and then―

_No, I can't let that happen!_

Even as that thought crossed her mind, she could feel exhaustion starting to set in. Just keeping her head above the water took all of her strength. She kept spluttering as water entered her mouth, and the shoreline looked as distant as ever.

Suddenly, arms wrapped around her waist and supported her. She stopped thrashing and gasped for breath, grateful for the chance to rest. As soon as she no longer felt too winded to speak, she cried, "Felix, no! It's a trap! Cornelia's using me to draw you out! You have to― LOOK OUT!"

She barely had time to breathe before Felix dragged her underwater, pulled her against him, and took off faster than a sniper's arrow. A deafening crack of thunder roared as the Bolting struck where they had just been just a second before. Annette thanked the goddess that thunder magic didn't work like natural lightning, or else she and Felix would both be dead right now. After a few disorienting seconds, Felix pushed her to the surface again, and she coughed several times before taking deep gulps of air. Several more seconds passed before she realized she was close enough to shore that she could touch the bottom, and Kronya and Cornelia were nowhere in sight.

"Thanks," Annette croaked. "That was too close. But we're not out of the woods yet. Cornelia will launch another assault in no time. Goddess, this is all my fault…"

She felt Felix's hands touch her shackles and tug the chain. "These shackles are suppressing my magic. That's how I got into this mess," she explained. "But you need to forget about me and go. You can't possibly break these things, and besides, you're the one Cornelia really wants."

"Ah, ah, ah, where do you think you're going?"

Annette jumped a meter at the voice. Kronya stood on shore and twirled her dagger, having seemingly materialized from nowhere. Annette swallowed, feeling her heart sink. As long as Cornelia had Warp, there was nowhere to run.

"Felix, get out of here! Now!" Annette hissed.

Something whizzed past her face with blinding speed, and she winced as pain lanced through her cheek. A hot, sticky sensation bubbled forth before the rain washed it away, and she realized she was bleeding.

"Oops, my hand slipped," Kronya said innocently. "Good thing I missed, right?"

Annette grimaced and glared at her. There was no way that was an accident. A moment later, she felt something repeatedly smash into one of her shackles and cursed. Why did Felix have to be so stubborn?

"I'm guessing from your face that that monster hasn't moved," Kronya remarked. "Ah, if only I could see it… I wonder how it would look all cut up and filleted?"

"You're disgusting!" Annette shouted.

"That's cute, coming from you," Kronya said, twirling another dagger she procured from Goddess-knows-where. "I wonder… Is it better to want to kill a monster or to be attracted to one?"

"Shut up!" Saints, she couldn't let Felix find out about her feelings like this!

"Oh, looks like Lady Cornelia's magic is finally working," Kronya noted with a grin. "Perfect."

Annette looked behind her and felt her heart stop when she saw Felix's silhouette. Cornelia must have used the water as the conduit for her spell. Even though he wasn't completely visible, he was still in real danger like this. Her mind made up, Annette glared defiantly at Kronya.

"If you want him, you'll have to get through me first," she growled.

"That's a laugh," Kronya taunted. "How can you possibly protect the beast when you can't even defend yourself?"

"I―"

Annette stiffened as she felt the shackle fall free from her right wrist. Against all odds, Felix had managed to break it, and he was already working on the other one. She frowned, wondering how in the world he had accomplished that. Mage shackles were meant to be temporary restraints, so they weren't made of the strongest stuff, but it still would have taken something small, durable, and precise to break the lock, and she couldn't think of anything in the lake that fit that description.

"No answer, huh?" Kronya said with a grin. She tossed her dagger into the air and caught it again. "Well, that's too bad. I was hoping for more of a challenge."

Annette's eyes widened. That was it! Felix must have found the dagger Kronya had thrown earlier, and now he was using it to chip away at her shackles. She felt a rush of pride at his brilliance but quickly sobered, realizing she needed to buy him a little more time. If she could get free of the shackles without Kronya realizing it, she just might be able to make the opening she needed.

"You know, you sure talk big, but I've yet to see you use that dagger for anything but show," she said.

"What?! How dare you!" Kronya snarled. "I should cut your tongue out for that!"

"We both know you won't," Annette taunted, an idea forming in her mind. "You're too scared."

"I am not scared! I just don't need you dead yet!"

"No, you won't risk going into the water because of Felix. This is his domain. The instant you move too far offshore, you'll be at his mercy."

"Y-you―"

The second shackle finally fell free, and Annette had to use every bit of her willpower to not cheer. Her fingers flexed impatiently, but she continued to pretend that her hands were bound and moved a bit closer to shore. "Face it, Kronya. You're nothing but a coward."

"That's _it_! Orders or not, you're dead!"

Annette was ready this time. Before the dagger left Kronya's fingers, Annette thrust her hands in front of her and unleashed the fastest Wind spell she had ever cast. Kronya was so surprised that her aim faltered, and the dagger whizzed harmlessly past Annette as the Wind spell collided with Kronya's torso. Kronya shrieked as she tumbled to the ground, and Annette hurried out of the water after her.

Annette launched several more Wind spells as Kronya recovered from the initial hit and rolled to her feet. Kronya was fast, though, and seemed to dance around the barrage of spells. She pulled out yet another dagger (seriously, where was she getting them all from?) and attempted to close the distance between them. Annette in turn kept firing her spells, knowing that she would lose the instant Kronya got too close.

The two remained at a stalemate, and Annette realized this match would go to whoever tired or messed up first. The wet grass and her drenched clothes were a constant hindrance and she strived not to move too much, but Kronya's agility made that nearly impossible. All the while, she could sense Cornelia gradually drawing closer. She had to finish this quickly.

As she readied a Cutting Gale, the hair on the back of her neck prickled and she froze as she spotted the beginnings of another Bolting out of the corner of her eye. She turned toward the lake, Kronya forgotten, and the world seemed to move in slow motion as pale lightning arced out of the sky and crashed into the lake.

"FELIX!"

A sharp pain exploded near the base of the back of her head, and she crumpled to the ground and knew no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM ALMOST DONE! This fic once again blew up bigger than I had intended, but as of now I only have an epilogue to write. So from now on I'll be posting updates every Monday, since I highly doubt it will take me a whole month to write the epilogue. I'm so proud of myself. I've never finished a longfic before, so this is a huge accomplishment for me!
> 
> As for this chapter, I was honestly impressed with myself when I read over this again as I prepared to publish it. There were a lot of lines I really liked, especially from Cornelia and Kronya. That's one thing I like about my updating method: it's fun to reread stuff I wrote a month or so ago when I haven't seen it for a while.
> 
> Also I apologize for another awful cliffhanger. It'll be resolved soon, I swear.


	11. Rainfall

Felix swam back and forth, paralleling the shoreline in whatever the aquatic equivalent of pacing was. Nervous energy thrummed through him and he wanted nothing more than to leap out of the lake and fight alongside Annette. Yet even if he could breach the surface, what could he do? He hated to admit it, but he was useless on land. He snarled and thrust his procured dagger into the lakebed in frustration. Annette was up there fighting for her life, and he couldn't do a single thing to help her.

He'd had the shock of his life when Annette dropped into the lake earlier with a huge splash, and he'd been even more alarmed when he saw her shackled like a criminal. And when that crazy woman―Kronya, Annette had called her―had thrown that dagger and cut Annette's cheek, he'd needed all his willpower to stay calm. He vowed to make both Kronya and Cornelia pay for what they'd done to Annette. Luckily, the same dagger Kronya had used to hurt Annette proved to be her downfall. Felix realized he could break Annette's shackles with it, and the instant she was free, she rained hell on Kronya. They'd been fighting for a while now, and though Felix admired Annette's strength and fortitude, he was starting to get worried. If she got hurt trying to protect him…

"FELIX!"

His heart stopped at Annette's scream, but instinct and years of finely honed reflexes got him out of the way of the Bolting in the nick of time. He stared at the place he had just been, his heart racing at the close call. Once he stopped gasping for breath, fresh alarm surged through him as he realized that the sounds of battle had ceased. Only the constant drone of the water flowing around him filled his ears.

An icy hand gripped his heart. Without a doubt, something terrible had happened to Annette. He raced closer to shore, praying he was mistaken and yet fearing the worst.

"Hmph. What a stupid girl," Kronya's voice growled. "Only a fool takes their eyes off their own battle."

Felix's heart froze. _No… No, she can't be dead!_

"Kronya," Cornelia's voice interjected. "I told you we needed her _alive_."

"Who do you take me for?!" Kronya exclaimed. "Okay, I admit I was tempted, but all I did was knock her out. Sheesh, she really put up a fight, though."

Felix nearly collapsed in relief. _She's still alive… Thank the goddess…_

"We wouldn't have had this problem if you'd just controlled the situation until I got here like you were supposed to," Cornelia snarled.

"How was I supposed to know she'd break out of the shackles?!" Kronya snapped.

Cornelia sighed. "I'll think about your punishment later. In the meantime, we can still salvage this. Look."

Felix cursed. They obviously could see him there. His first instinct was to back away, but he paused, realizing Cornelia and Kronya didn't know how sentient he was. If he played his cards right, he might be able to use their ignorance to his advantage. He began swimming back and forth parallel to the shoreline again, trying to appear agitated.

"Must be wondering what happened to the girl," said Kronya. "Think it understands us?"

"Doubtful. It's a beast, after all," Cornelia scoffed. "And like any beast, it needs to be put in its place."

Felix was familiar with the humming sound that accompanied a spell by now, and he was ready for Cornelia. He swam as fast as he could, twisting and arching his body and altering his depth in order to avoid her barrage of Thunder spells. His scales tingled at each close call, but he refused to be intimidated. He had to keep Cornelia occupied and buy time for Annette to wake up.

He could no longer hear any voices over the constant cracking of thunder, but he could tell Cornelia was becoming increasingly frustrated from how erratic her spells were becoming. He was starting to get tired, but he had pushed his body to its limits before and was more than willing to do it again, especially if it could save Annette.

All of a sudden, the torrent of spells came to an abrupt halt. Felix slowed to a stop, and his gills heaved as he fought to catch his breath. He whipped his head around wildly and strained his ears in hopes of figuring out what Cornelia was planning. Every muscle in his body was tense, ready to spring into action at the slightest provocation.

Then, he heard it. A scream that made all the blood drain from his face and turn to ice in his veins. Annette. They hurt Annette.

Another crash of thunder rang out, and then all he knew was pain. It sliced through every inch of his body, roared in his ears, and tore a dreadful scream from his mouth. His limbs spasmed uncontrollably, his head spun, and his eyes were squeezed so tightly that he could no longer tell where he was. After what seemed like hours, the searing pain left as suddenly as it came, leaving behind a dull, throbbing ache and a weariness that sank deep into his bones.

He vaguely registered that he was sinking, but he felt too exhausted to fight it. The last time he'd endured an attack that vicious was when he first got cursed. It was a miracle that he was still alive. Either Cornelia's aim was slightly off, or he just got extremely lucky.

Before long, he felt the rocky lakebed dig into his arms, then his chest, and then his tail. Despite his best efforts, he could feel consciousness slowly slipping away. Just as he was about to slide into oblivion, he heard a voice call his name. It took a monumental amount of effort, but he cracked his eyes open. "Annette?" he whispered.

She kept screaming his name, and he realized she must think he's terribly hurt or worse. Fresh determination rushed through him and he dug his fingers into the rocks. He couldn't give up now. If Annette was still fighting, he would fight, too.

He heard a splash and frowned. Surely Kronya and Cornelia hadn't let Annette go. Perhaps they were checking if he was really dead. A sudden idea struck him and he closed his eyes and let his body go limp―an easy task when that was exactly what his body craved.

After a few moments, he felt slender hands slide under his arms and lift him upwards. He couldn't have been that deep if Cornelia or Kronya was retrieving his body. Sure enough, he soon felt the familiar barrier press against him.

"Well… How interesting," Cornelia crooned. Felix fought to remain still. From how close her voice was, she was the one carrying him. "It actually can't leave the water."

"Stop that! Let him go!" Annette shrieked.

"Oh, shut up, you brat," Kronya snarled.

"So, this is why you made such a complex spell," said Kronya. She lifted his arm and placed her hand on his bracelet. "Ah, and this must be the conduit mentioned in your notes. Very impressive, Miss Dominic."

Felix tried not to shudder at the familiar tingle as the magic washed over him, and Cornelia once again hooked her arms under his and hauled him out of the water. This time, there was no resistance.

Air rushed into his lungs for the first time in months, and he needed all his willpower to not take the deep gulps he craved. Rain pattered against his skin and joined the lake water dripping off of him. Cornelia dragged him around for a bit before dropping him somewhere on a bed of grass. His head lolled to the side, his arms landed haphazardly beside him, and the grass tickled his fins, but he forced himself to remain limp and lifeless.

"Well, well, well… This certainly is a fascinating creature," said Cornelia. Felix felt her hands rove around his body. Somehow he managed to not squirm as she lifted his tail, opened his eyelid, brushed a finger over his gills, and felt around for his pulse. She ignored Annette's increasingly vocal protests and hummed thoughtfully. "Huh, it lives still. Remarkable… Not too many creatures can survive a direct hit from Bolting. It doesn't seem to have any problem breathing out of the water, either. Fascinating… It might actually be worth keeping alive."

"What are you going to do with him?!" Annette demanded.

"I'll be taking it back to Fhirdiad, of course," Cornelia replied. "I absolutely must study this creature more closely. Besides, we can't possibly leave it here when it's been terrorizing this lake for years now. Wasn't quelling the rumors the whole reason you started your investigation, Miss Dominic?"

"I know, but this isn't right!"

"I see nothing wrong with caging a dangerous beast. Obviously your attachment to this creature is clouding your judgement." A pause. "I can't have a clearly insane girl running off and running her mouth about me. I'll have to tell everyone that poor Annette Fantine Dominic met her end at the hands of this vicious monster, and I just couldn't save her in time."

Felix couldn't stand another second of this. His eyes snapped open and he quickly determined that Cornelia was standing just inches away from him. He gathered every bit of his strength and lunged at her legs. As he did so, he felt his Crest flare to life, and it gave him the rush of energy he needed.

Whatever Cornelia was going to say next was lost as she screamed and toppled to the ground. Felix wasted no time clambering on top of her and pinning her arms at her sides. His tail being dead weight worked to his advantage. Cornelia couldn't possibly lift all those kilograms of scales, muscles, and bones with just her legs. He bared his teeth and hissed furiously as he came face to face with her.

"H-how?!" Cornelia stammered.

"Felix! You're okay!" Annette cried. Felix quickly turned toward her voice and tensed when he saw that Kronya had pinned her to the ground and restrained her hands behind her back. Blood leaked out from several cuts on her face and arms, but relief shone in her eyes. He growled threateningly and dug his claws deeper into Cornelia's arms.

"Holy shit, was that thing just feigning unconsciousness this whole time?!" Kronya exclaimed.

"Kronya! Kill the girl, _now_!" Cornelia ordered.

"Hands are full right now!" Kronya grated. Indeed, just holding Annette down seemed to be taking all her strength.

Felix knew he had to get Kronya off Annette somehow, but letting go of Cornelia wasn't an option. If he could break Kronya's concentration for even a moment, he just might give Annette enough of an opening to slip free. With his body and his wits as his only weapons, he had only one option. He lunged downwards and sank his fangs into Cornelia's shoulder.

Cornelia released a horrid screech, and Kronya yelped in concern immediately afterward. Felix tried not to gag as blood pooled in his mouth, but he could not suppress the rush of satisfaction that came from his fish brain. It longed to target Cornelia's vulnerable neck and feel her windpipe snap under the force of his jaws. He managed to resist the urge by reminding himself that he had vowed to never kill someone in such a brutal, animalistic way again.

A sharp pain suddenly exploded in his back and he instinctively yelped. In the process, his grip on Cornelia’s arms slipped, and she shoved him off. As he rolled onto the grass, he allowed himself a small grin. Even after all these years, he recognized what a stab wound felt like. Kronya had attacked him, and that meant Annette was free.

Sure enough, Annette screamed his name, and the telltale hum that followed told him that she was casting. Wind roared over his head, and Kronya screamed in pain. The thud her body made as it collapsed to the ground sounded eerily final. Cornelia growled in rage, swore to make Annette pay, and began rapidly firing Thunder spells.

Felix, caught in the middle, could do nothing but watch as the spells zinged over his head. He hated feeling so helpless, but he couldn't help but admire how well Annette jumped, ducked, and threw up wards against the barrage of lightning. Whenever she found an opening, she'd unleash a blast of green wind or a volley of white magical arrows. Her dress and cloak whipped around her with each conjured spell, and despite the dirt and blood coating her face and clothes, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Both mages were soon breathing hard. "You little brat," Cornelia growled. "Why don't you just give up?"

"You're looking pretty wiped out yourself," Annette countered. "I can't imagine you have too many Thunders left in you after wasting so many on Felix."

"Why you…" Cornelia snarled. "I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice."

She formed another magic circle, but this one was decidedly different. A bitter tang filled the air as a black and purple blob formed and flew at Annette. Annette dove out of the way just in time. The blob collided with a tree, and the wood melted and rotted away until only a slimy black gouge was left where the blob had hit.

Annette looked between the damaged tree and Cornelia, her eyes wide with horror. "You… You know dark magic?!"

"Naturally," Cornelia replied. "I wasn't about to let an ill-conceived ban keep me from learning such a powerful form of magic. I had to be careful, though, since I couldn't risk gaining any unsightly scars. But I'll gladly wear gloves for the rest of my life if it means I get to destroy you!"

The battle resumed, and Annette frantically ducked and dodged each volley of dark magic Cornelia launched. The rain began to grow heavier, and Felix worried that it along with Annette's exhaustion could cause her to slip up and leave her vulnerable. He glanced over at Cornelia, who was completely focused on casting and avoiding Annette's spells. Getting an idea, he rolled onto his stomach and began to slowly drag himself toward her. The process was slow and painful, and his injuries only exacerbated his discomfort. Even so, he was determined, and he kept going even as his arms began to ache with exhaustion.

He was still over a meter away from Cornelia when she looked down and noticed him. "What do you think you're doing, beast? Trying to get in my way? Well, forget it!"

She punctuated her declaration with another blast of dark magic, but this time, she aimed it straight at Felix. His eyes widened and time seemed to slow down as the dark blob came closer and closer. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw several of Annette's magic arrows make a beeline for Cornelia. He heard Annette scream, but he knew it was too late for her to do anything about it. Even if he had legs, he wouldn't have had the time to avoid Cornelia's attack. He could only raise his arms to shield his face and brace himself as the dark magic hit him head on.

The pain was unlike anything he had felt before. It seared him straight to his bones, tore a horrible scream from his lungs, and left a hot, sticky liquid dripping down his arms. He tried not to think about what that liquid was. At last, the terrible burning dulled and he collapsed, too weak to lift a muscle.

With his eyes closed and his blood roaring in his ears, he could no longer tell what was happening. Muffled voices and sounds all blended together in a cacophony that he could not understand. The only thing that was clear was the lingering throbbing pain all throughout his body, especially his arms.

"Felix! Oh goddess, Felix!"

Was that Annette? Her voice sounded so far away. He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids were too heavy. Gentle hands turned him over and brushed his hair out of his face.

"Hold on! I'm going to heal you! Saints, how could I have let this happen?"

A soothing warmth cut through the pain in his body. He felt a strange tingling, a bit like how his fingers felt when he warmed his hands by a fireplace after a day of playing in the snow. He groaned softly and managed to crack his eyes open. A blurry mess of orange, white, and blue filled his vision. "'Nette?" he croaked.

"Felix!" Relief filled Annette's voice. "Thank goodness you're okay! These wounds aren't life threatening, but they're still severe enough that you shouldn't be pushing yourself. Dark magic is nothing to be trifled with. It corroded your flesh, and it turned your bracelet all black and nasty. I'm not as good as Mercie, so this is probably going to scar. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Felix mumbled. Scars were nothing new to him. He'd bear this one as steadfastly as the countless other ones he'd accrued over the years.

"If you say so…" Annette relented. "Still, that attack was awful. It's a miracle your bracelet is still intact and working. I would have thought the dark magic would have eaten away at the spell, but it somehow held together. Hm? What's this?"

Felix tried to open his eyes wider, but they wouldn't budge at all. His vision remained too blurry to see whatever had drawn Annette's attention. She was quiet for a long moment, and when she spoke again, her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

"You kept this all this time?"

It took Felix an inordinately long time to realize she was talking about her hairpin, and even longer to realize that it must have taken the full brunt of Cornelia's spell. "I'm sorry. It's ruined, isn't it?"

"Dummy. Don't worry about that," Annette scoffed. "Cornelia and Kronya are dead, and you're safe. That's all I care about."

"When―"

"My Saggitae cut Cornelia down after you drew her attention, and then I finished her off. Why'd you do that?! You _know_ you're defenseless on land!"

"Didn't want you to get hurt," Felix admitted.

"You… stupid… villain!" Annette cried. "You think I like seeing _you_ get hurt?! I was doing just fine! Why'd you have to…"

Whatever she was going to say was lost as she broke into sobs. Felix desperately wished he could move his arms so he could try to comfort her. Despite her rattled state, she didn't stop healing him.

"You told me you didn't want to be a glorified shield, and then you pull _this_?" she growled. "You're a villain _and_ a hypocrite!"

Felix cracked a smile in spite of himself. She wasn't entirely right. While it was true he wanted to protect her, he wasn't about to give up his life to do so. Protecting someone he cared about and _living_ for them, though, was an idea he could get behind. If only his stupid old man could understand that.

When the soothing warmth finally faded, his pain was only a shadow of its former self. Now he was more exhausted than anything. It was tempting to pass out, but he didn't think that was fair when Annette had to be just as tired as him. Not only that, it was still raining, and he wanted to make sure she was safely on her way before he tended to himself. He managed to force his eyes open just as Annette slid her arm behind his back and helped him into a sitting position.

"Feel better?" she asked.

"Yeah. Thanks," he replied. Then he stiffened as Annette pulled him into a crushing hug.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. "This is all my fault. No matter how good my intentions were, I hurt you terribly, and you almost died today because of me. I don't know how I can possibly make it up to you."

"Annette…" Felix whispered. He powered through his embarrassment and slowly and gingerly wrapped his arms around her. "Stop apologizing for everything. I'm fine, aren't I?"

"You almost weren't!" Annette cried. "If it weren't for me, you'd―"

"Shut up," Felix interrupted. "It's fine. It's all over now. And I'm not mad at you, so stop dwelling on it."

"Felix…" She squeezed him even tighter, and he gently stroked her hair in response.

"It's okay. I'm here," he whispered.

She sobbed into his shoulder. "I love you."

Felix froze, certain he misheard. "What did you say?"

"I love you," Annette repeated. "I've loved you for a long time now. I was just too much of a coward to say it. But after almost losing you today, I had to tell you. I couldn't bear it if you died without knowing."

"Annette…"

"It's okay. I don't mind that you don't feel the same way. I did leave you, after all." She made a breathy sound that fell somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "I wanted to protect you, but I wound up hurting you instead. I can't apologize enough for that. And I'm sorry I made everything awkward by laying my feelings on the table like this. I―"

"Annette. Stop."

She flinched as if he'd slapped her and he mentally cursed. Of course she would assume the worst. He moved away from her a bit but kept an arm around her back as he gently took hold of her chin and forced her to look at him.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop apologizing?" he asked. "You have _nothing_ to be sorry for."

"But―"

"Listen," he began. "I won't deny that it hurt, but I understand why you left. I don't hold it against you, so stop worrying about it. As for your feelings…" He swallowed and forced himself to finish. "They're not… unwelcome."

Annette stared at him, eyes wide with shock. "What?"

"I said they're not unwelcome!" he exclaimed. When she continued to gape at him, he sighed, removed his hand from her face, and averted his eyes, keenly aware of how red his face was. "Are you really gonna make me spell it out? Fine. Annette, I…" He shut his eyes and swallowed again. Saints, why was this so hard? "I like you, too. A lot."

Annette gasped softly. "You… You do?"

"Of course I do. I've felt this way for months. I just…" He sighed. "Right from the start, I figured I had no chance. I mean, just _look_ at me."

"Felix…" Annette murmured as she gently cupped his cheek. "You don't have to feel ashamed. I grew to love you because of who you are as a person. Sure, you're all prickly and rude and rough around the edges, but you're also kind and brave, and you always cut through my doubts with sharp words and brutal honesty. If it helps you feel better, though, I always thought you were beautiful."

Warmth flooded Felix's chest, and his heart swelled to three times its usual size. If anyone else had told him that, he'd have called them out on their bullshit, but this was Annette―beautiful, sweet Annette, who had never found him repulsive and even made a song about him. Goddess, what had he done to deserve a woman like this? A wonderful warm, light feeling filled him from the top of his head to the tip of his tail, and he was suddenly struck with the overwhelming urge to kiss her. As tempting as it was to lean over and do just that, his previous experiences with following his urges had ended disastrously. He had to make sure Annette was okay with it first.

"I… Can I…" He faltered and scowled, feeling his ears burn all the way to their tips. Why couldn't he just come out and _say_ it?

Annette giggled at him and planted a quick, chaste kiss on his cheek. He gave a tiny start and touched the spot, which was still tingling even though the contact lasted less than a second.

"Does that answer your question?" Annette asked.

Filled with a competitive determination and having received permission, Felix grabbed her face with both hands and surged forward until his lips collided with hers. It was a clumsy kiss at best, as he accidentally bumped his nose against Annette's and he had no idea what he was doing, but the way Annette relaxed against him and moved her hand behind his head to tug him closer told him he had to be doing _something_ right.

A warm, tingly sensation bubbled up in his heart and slowly spread throughout his body. It was pleasant, but it also made him feel odd. Parts of his body started to go numb, especially his tail and his neck. The numbness didn't last long, but when it faded, he felt… different. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was strange.

At last, he parted from Annette because he really needed to breathe. As he did so, he immediately noticed something was off. When he inhaled, he no longer felt air escape through his gills. His fingers shot to his neck and his eyes widened when they only met smooth skin. On top of that, he no longer felt the sharp prick of his claws against his skin.

"Felix," Annette breathed, looking just as thunderstruck as him. "Your skin… Your eyes… You're human again!"

Felix looked down at himself and his heart thumped wildly in his chest as he saw that she was right. His scales were gone and his skin no longer looked deathly pale. His nails had returned to their normal color and length, and his legs… Saints, he had legs again!

"We broke the curse!" Annette cried. "But… how? It doesn't make any sense!"

"I don't know, but I'm not about to complain," Felix remarked.

"No, Felix, you don't understand! Black magic follows very specific rules. It doesn't just go away for no reason! There has to have been a trigger or some new addition that completely disrupted the formula." She gasped and her eyes widened comically. "It couldn't have been… the kiss?!"

"Actually, I think that's exactly it," said Felix. When Annette gaped at him in disbelief, he elaborated. "When I kissed you, I felt… strange. Not in a bad way, just… different. It's hard to explain. I could tell _something_ was different, but I just couldn't figure out what it was."

Annette furrowed her brow. "I guess that makes sense, but I still don't understand. Why would a kiss break the curse?"

"I think I get it. When that witch cursed me, she told me she would take away everything I held dear. But now…" He paused and tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "Now, I've found something new to hold dear."

"F-Felix…" she stammered. Her face turned delightfully pink, but she quickly sobered and cleared her throat. "That's actually a pretty good hypothesis. I think there's more to it than that, though. Maybe the witch not only wanted to cut you off from everything you loved, but also keep anyone from loving you. She turned you invisible, so she didn't really need to make you look so… conventionally unattractive as well, unless she was just that spiteful. But we grew to love each other despite all that, and when we finally expressed our feelings, the curse's conditions were no longer valid, so it broke."

Felix didn't entirely understand that explanation, but he was happy enough knowing Annette was the reason why he was finally free of his curse. Water, barriers, and fins could no longer keep him from staying by her side. There were still challenges ahead―particularly ones that involved his identity―but he would face them another day. Right now, he just wanted to get out of the rain. One bad thing about being human again was that he was no longer immune to the water's chill.

As he moved his legs, he realized several other things had returned along with them, and only then did it dawn on him that he was completely naked. In front of Annette. She seemed to realize this too, because she cleared her throat and made a point to look away. "We should, um, probably find you some clothes."

"Yeah," he agreed, shivering. Eager to get moving, he tried to stand up, but his legs wobbled and collapsed under him as if he were a newborn fawn. Annette cried his name in alarm and helped him back up.

"Take it easy," she chided. "You haven't walked or even stood up in over six years. You can't expect to instantly be back to normal after being transformed for so long. We'll have to teach your body how to use legs again. Until then, I'll help you walk, okay?"

Felix hated feeling so weak and dependent, but he had no choice, so he grudgingly agreed. Annette hooked his left arm over her shoulders, secured her right arm around his back, and slowly guided him to his feet. She supported most of his weight, allowing him to concentrate on slowly guiding one foot in front of the other. All the while, he couldn't help but notice just how _tiny_ Annette was. He was so used to looking up at her due to living in the water, but now he had to bend over just so she could support him properly. He guessed that if he were capable of standing to his full height, she'd barely reach his nose. Yet she carried him without complaint or any obvious discomfort. A small smile crossed his face as admiration filled his heart. Even though he felt humiliated to need help just to stand up and walk, at least his help came from the strongest, bravest woman he knew.

He had a very long road ahead of him, but with Annette at his side, he wasn't afraid. No matter what happened from this moment on, they would face it together. No longer would he have to suffer alone.

For the first time in many years, his heart was at peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AT LONG LAST! It took over 35,000 words of pining and drama, but I finally got these two fools to kiss! Also, leave it to my crazy brain to BS a logical reason as to why the kiss broke the curse...
> 
> There's still some loose ends to tie up, but this concludes the climax! I originally only intended a chapter or two of resolution, but it blew up to three more fairly lengthy chapters AND an epilogue... Although this isn't the first time this fic got out of hand. I had originally wanted this to be a 20k word fic but it's grown to be over two and a half times that length now...
> 
> Next time, we finally get to delve into some pure, unadulterated fluff!


	12. Returning Home

When Annette was a little girl, she often daydreamed about meeting her true love. Usually it amounted to a prince or a knight sweeping her off her feet and riding with him into the sunset on a white horse. She never imagined she'd be the one riding the horse, and that it would be because she had to drive her beloved around in an iron carriage both to hide him and because he couldn't walk―never mind that she had never driven a carriage before. Life was funny that way.

To be fair, the horse and carriage had been her idea. Cornelia and Kronya obviously couldn't use theirs anymore, so Annette figured no one would complain if she "borrowed" them for a while. She also "borrowed" their supplies, for she and Felix would need food and money for the journey ahead. Felix also desperately needed some sort of covering, and Cornelia and Kronya's travel blankets were perfect for the job. She hated keeping Felix in such an uncomfortable place, but she had to get him out of the rain and he was in no state to ride a horse.

The same could not be said for her. She simply had to endure the continuing rainstorm until she found a proper shelter. Luckily, there was a small village not too far from Lake Ninis that would suffice. She managed to reach the village by sundown, and by then, the rain was finally letting up. She left the carriage just outside town for fear someone would recognize it and entered the village on her own. The first thing she did was visit a local merchant so she could buy Felix some new clothes, as she didn't want him to spend any more time shivering in that cold iron carriage with nothing but a couple blankets covering him. She chose a simple white shirt, brown pants, socks, leather boots, and a long black cloak with a hood. She also bought him new smallclothes, which earned her a few uncomfortable questions from the merchant, but her embarrassment was a small price to pay for Felix's comfort. The material was very simple and threadbare, and she had to make her best guess on the sizes, but at least Felix would have something to wear now.

She had to help him dress, much to both his and her embarrassment, and then she helped him climb out of the carriage. She made sure his cloak's hood concealed his face before taking him with her to the local inn―the last thing she wanted was for someone to recognize him and cause an uproar. She would have to reveal him eventually, but she wanted to wait at least until she got home and could explain everything to her mother and uncle.

She made up a story to the innkeeper about how her companion had been terribly wounded and it left him both crippled and disfigured. The best part was that it wasn't entirely a lie. The innkeeper bought the tale and allowed them to stay without any more questions. He even called for the town's healer to attend to Annette's lingering wounds, which she explained were the result of a bandit attack―another half truth.

With her wounds bandaged, Felix safe, and a soft bed beneath her, Annette quickly succumbed to sleep. When she woke up the next morning, though, her head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton, and the rest of her felt like she'd been trampled by a pegasus. Evidently, spending an entire day soaked to the bone hadn't been good for her health.

Felix took one look at her and refused to go anywhere until she recovered. That didn't stop her from attempting to carry him out of there, though. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have the strength to lift him in her current state. She pouted as Felix made her lie down next to him and trapped her in his arms. He claimed that it was because he didn't trust her to make it back to her bed on her own, but she suspected that it wasn't his only reason.

"Villain," she grumbled, although her congestion made it sound more like "bill in".

A chuckle rumbled through his chest. "Get some sleep, Annette."

Seeing that she couldn't escape, she grudgingly settled against him and closed her eyes. She was actually quite comfortable despite how small the bed was, but being stuck here when she could be out doing something really bothered her. Then again, she supposed there were far worse places to be trapped than in Felix's arms.

As Felix gently stroked her hair, Annette was once again struck by the fact that he was here, human and warm, and he _loved her_. It still didn't feel real, and the fuzziness in her head wasn't helping. She wondered if she was experiencing some fever dream and was suddenly struck with the fear that she would wake up alone again.

"Felix?" she whispered.

"Hm?"

"You'll stay with me, won't you?"

Felix pulled her in closer, and she soon felt the gentle press of his lips on her forehead. "Always," he murmured.

Annette sobbed softly and snuggled even closer to him. Once again, she was amazed at how he knew exactly what to say to cut through her fear. With her heart now at ease, she relaxed into his warmth, and his steady heartbeat soon lulled her into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

Several days passed before Annette recovered enough to travel again. Felix never left her side the whole time. To be fair, his inability to walk without help had a lot to do with that, but Annette thought it was sweet nonetheless.

Now that the fog had mostly cleared from her head, it finally started sinking in that the last few days had been real. Felix was really here with her, and _goddess help her, he was beautiful_. While she'd always found his half-fish form captivating, his human self was equally breathtaking. He'd lost his shiny scales and beautiful tail, but his overall appearance was now much softer and warmer. In particular, his eyes lost a lot of their intensity now that they had a human color and shape, but his irises remained the same warm copper color that she had come to adore.

It was so hard to believe that such a beautiful, kind man would want someone like her. Foolish little Annette, who routinely tripped over her own feet and made up songs about food. When she told him as much, he'd frowned and given her a serious look.

"Annette, I wouldn't be sitting here right now if it weren't for you, so don't you dare start doubting yourself," he said sternly.

"But―"

Felix pressed a finger to her lips before she could say anything else. "Want to know something? From the first time I heard you sing, I've been your captive."

"What…?" Annette could hardly believe her ears, and yet the blunt remark was so characteristically _Felix_ that he had to be telling the truth. The shy blush that even his hood couldn't fully hide was another telltale sign that he was being earnest. "M-my captive?! What are you saying?!"

"Even when you weren't around, I kept hearing your voice," he explained. "I heard you when I was asleep, when I was swimming, and even when I was trying to come up with ideas to escape. It got to a point where all I could think about was how much I wanted to hear you sing again."

"Felix…" Tears pooled in her eyes, and Felix gently brushed them away with his thumb.

"Will you sing for me again? Now and always?" he asked.

She sniffled and smiled at him. "I'd love to. Um, do you have any requests?"

“Scales and Tails,” he said without hesitation.

Annette thought that was a strange choice since he’d regained his human form, but she supposed it didn’t matter as long as he was happy. Once she finished, she asked if they could finally leave town, but Felix insisted that the healer should examine her one more time first. He wouldn't budge even when she tried to bribe him with another song, so she grudgingly agreed to the demand. The healer cleared her for travel, but warned her not to push herself too hard. She happily agreed, and she thanked both the healer and the innkeeper for their kindness. They warned her to be careful, however, as one of the local fishermen had found two bodies on the shores of Lake Ninis. Annette assured them that she would be fine, but the news made her even more eager to get moving. She did not want to be in town once word got out that Lady Cornelia Arnim was dead.

She purchased enough food and supplies to last her and Felix until they reached the Dominic barony. Once she'd packed everything, she helped Felix back into the carriage, and then they both set off on their way.

The journey was thankfully uneventful. Annette was familiar with the roads thanks to her periodic commutes between home and the Royal School of Sorcery, so there was no danger of them getting lost. She also knew this route was generally safe from bandit attacks, so she could concentrate on riding instead of constantly needing to keep a lookout for movement in the bushes.

The main difference now was that she now had Felix as a traveling companion. He joined her for meals and breaks, and they shared a bed when they stopped at an inn for the night. The one issue was that she had to accompany him whenever he had to relieve himself, but she was becoming increasingly accustomed to ignoring her embarrassment for Felix's sake.

At long last, her family's manor came into view. Nervous energy bubbled up inside her as she made her final approach. By now, her mother and uncle had likely heard of her expulsion and subsequent arrest. She had a _lot_ of explaining to do.

When the guards ran up to check who the visitor was, their eyes bulged in shock. "Lady Annette?! Is that really you?!"

"Yes, it's me," she answered. "I've had a long journey, so please inform my uncle and my mother of my arrival at once."

"Of course, milady!" a guard exclaimed. "But, if I may ask, why exactly are you driving a carriage meant for prisoners?"

Annette laughed nervously. "It's a long story, but the short answer is I have a guest and this was the best way I could think of to transport him given the circumstances."

"A guest?! Who―"

"Stop asking questions! I promise I'll explain everything later. Just fetch Mother and Uncle and bring them here as soon as possible."

"All right. As you wish, milady."

Once the guards were out of sight, Annette breathed a sigh of relief and hopped down from the carriage seat. She made her way around to the rear of the carriage and knocked on the door. "Felix, are you doing okay?"

"I'm fine," he responded. "I told you not to worry so much."

Annette smiled. They'd had this conversation several times during the trip, but she still couldn't help but worry about him. "Well, just hang in there a little longer, okay? I'll come back to get you once Mother and Uncle get out here."

Felix grunted affirmatively, and Annette took that as her cue to move to the side of the carriage and wait. After a few anxious minutes, her mother and uncle finally emerged from the manor. Her mother took one look at her before shouting her name, sprinting towards her and enveloping her in a hug.

"Annette! Oh, thank goodness you're safe!" she cried.

"Mother, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry," Annette said sadly as she hugged her back.

"What in the world happened to you?!" her mother demanded. "Just the other day, we received a missive from the School of Sorcery claiming you'd been arrested for the illegal study of dark magic! And now you show up all covered in bandages and driving a prison carriage! Just what have you been doing?!"

"Mother, I promise I'll explain everything soon, but first, there's someone I want you to meet," said Annette. "He's the reason all of this happened, after all."

Her mother's brow furrowed. "'He'? Who's 'he'?"

Annette gave her a wry smile. "The villain who stole my heart."

"Oh!" Her mother's face lit up with surprise and understanding. "A villain, you say? If that's the case, I absolutely _must_ see him!"

Annette's uncle begged her mother to contain herself, but the plea fell on deaf ears. In the meantime, Annette quickly scrambled back to the rear of the carriage and pulled the door open. "Ready?" she called.

"Really, Annette?" Felix gave her an exasperated look. "The first thing you tell your mother about me is that I'm a villain?"

"Well, it's the truth," she countered as she climbed inside the carriage.

Felix sighed and shook his head. "If she decides to gut me alive, I blame you."

While the words were spoken in jest, a tinge of real fear coated them. Annette felt her heart squeeze sympathetically, and she knelt down to his level and cupped his cheek. "Hey, it'll be alright," she assured. "My mother's going to love you. I promise."

Felix still looked a little unsure, but he hummed affirmatively. "All right, if you say so. I trust you, Annette."

Hearing him say that out loud warmed Annette to her core. She put her arm around his back and helped him to his feet. She didn't bother to pull his hood up this time, as there was no more need to hide him. Before they headed outside, she remembered she had one more question for him. "Felix, are you sure you're ready to reveal that you're a Fraldarius?"

"I've thought a lot about this," he admitted. "I think it's time I stopped being selfish. I can't ask you to leave everything you know and love to spend a life on the road with me, and if I disappeared without a word again, I'd be no better than your damned father. I promised I wouldn't abandon you, Annette. I won't go back on my word."

"Felix…"

"Hey, don't start crying now. Your mother will get the wrong idea."

"Sorry." She quickly wiped her stinging eyes. "I'm just… I'm so happy you remembered."

"Of course I did," he grumbled, but she could see that his ears were red. "Now, if you're done talking, let's go. We shouldn't keep your mother waiting."

Annette nodded and hummed her agreement, and then she and Felix hopped out of the carriage together. Her mother gasped in delight the moment they stepped into view. "Is that him?" she exclaimed. "Oh, he's precious! But… what happened to him? Can he not walk?"

"He lost the use of his legs. That's why I needed the carriage," Annette explained. "I've been trying to help him walk again, but it's a slow process."

"Oh, you poor dear," her mother cooed. "You must have had an awful journey. Please, come inside. We can discuss more over some tea and cakes."

"I'll pass on the cake," Felix stated.

"Felix!" Annette scolded.

"Oh, your name is Felix?" her mother inquired. "What a lovely name."

"Felix? Now, where have I heard that name before…?" her uncle muttered.

"Why don't we head inside and have that tea?" Annette suggested. She wanted her mother and uncle to at least have a chair ready before she dropped Felix's identity on them.

The four of them entered the manor, and servants flitted about, taking Felix and Annette's cloaks and leading them to the dining room. Once everyone was seated at the table with steaming cups of tea in front of them, Annette finally decided to come clean. "So, Uncle, you were wondering why Felix seemed familiar. That's because, well, he's Felix Fraldarius."

"Fraldarius?!" her uncle exclaimed. He turned to look at Felix, eyes wide with shock. "You're Lord Rodrigue's heir?! But that's impossible! The boy died years ago!"

"I might as well have died," Felix countered, crossing his arms. "You try being sealed beneath a lake with a half-fish body for six years."

Her uncle's mouth fell open. "Annette, why did you think it was a good idea to bring home a madman?!"

"He's telling the truth," Annette insisted. "Remember when I went to study Lake Ninis with Mercedes last year? Well, I wound up finding out there was truth to all the rumors. You see…"

She started from the very beginning of her investigation and how she'd accidentally discovered Felix was trapped there. She explained his curse and the months of research she'd done in an effort to break it. She admitted that she had been studying dark magic, but only because she wanted to understand how it was structured so she could improve her counterspells. She also explained how Cornelia had been involved and how she'd attacked, arrested, and used Annette for her own selfish goals. She showed the ruined hairpin and bracelet and Felix's scars as proof that Cornelia had used dark magic. Finally, she spoke about how she and Felix stopped Cornelia and Kronya and broke the curse for good.

"And since Felix couldn't walk after spending six years without legs, I took the carriage Cornelia and Kronya used to imprison me and had him ride in it. And here we are," Annette finished.

Her mother and uncle were silent for a long time. Annette shifted anxiously, wishing Felix was seated closer so she could hold his hand for support. At long last, her uncle sighed heavily. "In all my years, I have never heard such a ridiculous and fantastical tale. But though I loathe to admit it, parts of it do explain some things I've wondered about for a long time."

"Well, I choose to believe them," her mother said. "I see no reason for Annette to lie. Not that she's ever been a good liar to begin with."

"Mother!" Annette cried.

"The question now is what to do with this young man," said her uncle. "If he truly is the young Fraldarius, we should inform Lord Rodrigue at once. It's been so many years since Felix was officially declared dead, though. I doubt Lord Rodrigue will believe his son just miraculously appeared in Dominic territory after all this time."

Felix snorted and crossed his arms. "So the old man's still alive. In that case, I'll write to him. He ought to recognize my handwriting. And once I can walk on my own again, Annette and I will tell him the whole story in person."

"Felix, are you sure?" Annette asked.

"It's the only way he'll know for sure it's me," he replied. "And I know my old man would be more than happy to reward you for finding me. You got arrested and expelled from the School of Sorcery because of me. The least I can do is make up for that."

Annette's heart twinged painfully. Felix had made his feelings about his father abundantly clear, and yet here he was, offering to return to the place he'd fled from for years just so he could help her. "You don't have to do that, Felix. I'll be fine. I've had worse setbacks than this. I don't want you to give up your happiness for my sake."

Felix looked at her in surprise, but his expression quickly turned serious again. "No, Annette, I _have_ to do this. Like I told you before, I need to stop being selfish. I'm through with running away. I can't say I'm looking forward to seeing my old man again, but I know I have to face him if I want to continue down this path."

Annette smiled softly. Once Felix set his mind on something, it was almost impossible to talk him out of it. Still, she couldn't help but find his stubborn determination endearing, especially when it involved her. The fact that his desire to be with her outweighed his desire to avoid his father made her feel warm.

"You really do love each other," her mother stated. Felix and Annette both went rigid. Felix stiffly looked away while Annette cried out in embarrassment. Her mother merely giggled. "Well, Felix, you have my full support. You are welcome to stay here as long as you'd like."

"I can't say I completely believe you, but I suppose there's no harm in letting you stay," her uncle conceded. "I'll prepare a guest room for you and inform the servants of your… unique situation."

"Thank you, Mother! Thank you, Uncle!" Annette exclaimed.

Once teatime was finished, the servants cleared the table, and Annette's uncle asked a pair of them to prepare a room for Felix. Annette and her mother then proceeded to show Felix around the manor. Annette knew that the modest library, garden, stables, and kitchen paled in comparison to what the Fraladrius family must have had, but Felix made no comment about it.

Only as she did this did it fully sink in that Felix was a _nobleman_. It was so hard to see him as one when he didn't behave like any noble she had met. Then again, when she first met him he had abandoned his title and had kept his true identity a secret. She remembered with sudden clarity that he had said that he didn't want his family name to pressure her and felt a small sting of guilt. She hadn't intended it, but she had started feeling inadequate in front of him again. She reminded herself that Felix didn't care about her family's status and resolved to not fall into self doubt again.

After the tour, they all gathered in the dining room again for dinner, and then Annette's uncle sent her and Felix to retire to their rooms so they could rest after their long journey. Annette took the opportunity to unpack the rest of her things. Among them was her now ruined hairpin. The silver was completely tarnished and misshapen, and the flower was reduced to an unrecognizable black blob. She would never be able to wear it again, and yet she couldn't help but smile at it. It served as a reminder of how hard Felix fought for her. It would make for quite the story for her future children.

Her heart fluttered at the thought of sharing a future with Felix. She knew without a doubt that she wanted to spend the rest of her life by his side, and she hoped he felt the same way. Even so, she didn't want him to feel pressured. If he really wanted to marry her, she trusted that he would propose when he was ready.

Although it was getting late, she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep right away, so she spent a couple hours reading before she put out her lamp and crawled into bed. Once she did, she was struck by how empty and cold it felt. It was ridiculous―she'd slept in this bed for _years_ ―but after spending so many nights cuddled next to Felix, it didn't feel right to not have him here with her.

She turned on her side and hugged her pillow, but it made a poor substitute for Felix. Part of her was tempted to seek him out, but she didn't want to wake him up, and her uncle would definitely throw a fit. Besides, she knew there would be times in the future where she wouldn't have Felix at her side. She couldn't be selfish.

She made herself as comfortable as she could and closed her eyes. Regardless of how she felt, she needed to get some sleep. Starting tomorrow, she would be helping Felix learn to walk again in earnest. The sooner he improved, the sooner they could be out from under her uncle's watchful eye. With that happy thought in mind, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

This process repeated for two more nights before Annette decided enough was enough. She'd spent far too many months longing for Felix when he was still trapped in Lake Ninis, and she was not going to let her uncle keep her from Felix any longer when he was _right there_. She was a grown woman now, and it was about time she started making her own decisions.

She waited until all the lights were out before sneaking out of her room and closing the door behind her. She tiptoed through the dark hallways, keeping her eyes and ears open for anyone who might be on patrol. Thankfully, no one appeared, and she reached the guest room Felix was staying in without incident.

She opened the door as quietly as she could, but apparently even that slight noise was enough to wake Felix, because he hissed, "Who's there?"

"It's just me," she whispered as she slipped inside.

There was a slight rustling as Felix sat up to get a better look at her. "Annette? What are you doing here?"

"I…" She trailed off and nervously twirled her hair. "I just… missed you."

"Missed me?" he asked. "You saw me earlier today."

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Annette hissed.

Felix chuckled, and she puffed her cheeks out at him. As she suspected, he was teasing her. "All right, all right," he drawled. "Come here."

She snorted, but slid into the bed next to him without another word. His arms wrapped around her, and she instinctively snuggled closer to him. He was so, so warm.

"Better?" he asked.

"Mmm…" She buried her face in his chest and nuzzled his collarbone.

Another chuckle rumbled through Felix's chest, and he gently stroked her hair. "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

"Shut up and go to sleep," Annette grumbled.

He laughed again. "All right, you win," he conceded before lightly kissing her forehead. "Good night, Annette."

"Good night," she mumbled back.

* * *

The next morning, a servant opened the door to the guest bedroom so she could help the young Lord Felix get ready. She opened her mouth to call for him but went silent when she saw he was still in bed, and not alone. He held Lady Annette in his arms, and both were the picture of tranquility as they slept together.

The servant couldn't bring herself to disturb them. She smiled and left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. Baron Dominic would simply have to wait a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Great news! Shortly after I published the last chapter, I finally finished writing this fic! And let me tell you, I just about died from the sappiness. The amount of secondhand embarrassment I got from writing Felix and Annette being sickeningly adorable is through the roof. But even though I had to put my tablet down every couple of sentences at points in order to recover from being overwhelmed by fluff, I'm ultimately proud of what I'm made. And you can see some of that sappy fluff here.
> 
> I definitely put on my "avoid coming up with names if you can help it" hat on for this chapter, as I really didn't want to make up names for Annette's mother and uncle. I am terrible at naming anything. Lake Ninis was actually nameless for a long time when I started writing this fic, for instance, and what eventually happened is I took the name from Ninian's ring, Ninis's Grace, in Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade. Several locations in the 3H verse are named after other characters in the franchise (Brigid and Myrrdin being notable examples) so I figured it would work.


	13. Unexpected Visitors

Slowly but surely, Felix adjusted to life as a human again. After spending so many years as a half-fish, it felt bizarre to wear clothes, sleep in an actual bed, and be subject to the laws of gravity again. Even moving his legs felt foreign. Luckily, the Dominic household was surprisingly accommodating of him, likely due to Annette's influence. Each morning, servants would help him get ready for the day, and each night, they would help him get ready for bed. It was humiliating, but given his current state, he had no choice but to accept the help.

The most awkward part was getting used to human hygiene again. Only when the servants complained that he smelled like a swamp and practically threw him into a bathtub did it sink in that he hadn't bathed in over six years. In his defense, he'd spent almost all that time _living_ in water, but he supposed a lake wasn't exactly the cleanest place. Privately, he wondered if his smell had ever bothered Annette. She never mentioned anything about it, so perhaps she had just gotten used to it.

He also had to deal with the absolute nightmare his hair had become. He hadn't realized how long it had grown because the water had always suspended it, but now it covered almost the entire length of his back. Six years without brushing had not been kind to it, either. Rather than try to tame the endless knots and tangles, he had the servants cut it until it reached just past his shoulders. Then he tied it up into a simple ponytail to keep it out of the way. Annette had been shocked at the change, but she quickly assured that she thought the look suited him.

His next order of business was to contact his old man. With winter fast approaching and news of Cornelia's demise and Annette's subsequent escape spreading through the entire kingdom, there was no time to waste. The words did not come easy, and his scrapped attempts littered his writing desk and the floor, but eventually he made something he was satisfied with. He kept it brief and to the point: he explained that he was alive but indisposed and that Annette had saved his life and did not deserve to be arrested. He also wrote that he and Annette would explain everything in person as soon as he was fit for travel again. He placed the finished letter in an envelope and sealed it with House Dominic's wax seal before handing it to a messenger. All he could do now was wait and work on improving his condition as quickly as possible.

Throughout his whole stay at the Dominic household, Annette remained a constant source of support. She made a point to not stray far from his side if she could help it. In fact, she lasted all of three nights before she snuck into his room to sleep with him. He didn't blame her. In fact, he'd missed drifting off to sleep with her in his arms during those three nights. He hadn't realized how touch-starved he was until he was able to hold Annette on a regular basis, and when that was taken from him again, the void left behind was all too apparent. He was grateful that Annette decided to take the initiative, because he wasn't able to do anything about it.

Baron Dominic had not been pleased to discover his niece's late night wanderings. Annette refused to back down, insisting that she was no longer a child and that she was more than ready to make her own choices about her relationships. She also said that she trusted Felix and that neither of them would be taking the next step until they both were ready.

Lady Dominic also took Annette's side, and ultimately the baron gave in. Felix was thus granted the privilege of having Annette's lovely face be the first thing he saw each morning and the last thing he saw before he went to sleep each night. He privately wished he could do this every day for the rest of his life. While he had the power to make that wish a reality, there were still several things he had to take care of first. Most notably, he'd have to fully regain the use of his legs, or else his proposal would be doomed to fail before it started.

Thankfully, his legs grew stronger with every passing day. Annette still had to help him walk, but she gradually let him support more and more of his own weight as his condition improved. Though it took days of work, he eventually became able to briefly stand on his own and even walk a few steps without assistance.

He started secretly practicing standing and walking when no one was around. He was so close to regaining full independence that he had to try. However, he was still unsteady, and he had to stay close to a chair or another sturdy piece of furniture in case his legs decided to give out. Despite his best efforts, Annette eventually caught him in the act. He expected her to scold him for pushing himself too hard, but instead, she merely sighed.

"Why am I not surprised?" she asked, shaking her head. "Felix, I know how badly you want to walk again, but you're going to hurt yourself at this rate. Next time you want to try walking, let me know. I want to be there to catch you if you fall."

Knowing that Annette wouldn't take "no" for an answer, Felix continued practicing with her supervision. His legs still wobbled and his knees buckled beneath him, and a few times he would have collapsed if not for Annette's aid, but each failure made him more determined to improve. It was no different from any other form of training.

Little by little, his legs grew stronger and his steps became surer, and by the second week of the Wyvern Moon, he finally, _finally_ could stand and walk for extended periods without feeling like his legs would give out. Annette was so happy that she almost tackled him to the ground with a hug. The fact that he was able to remain standing was a testament to how much his condition had improved. He wouldn't feel like his old self until he was able to wield a sword again, but for the time being, he was happy to finally stand by Annette's side.

Their joy was short-lived. Felix had barely begun making preparations for his and Annette's trip to Fraldarius territory when a pair of Fhirdiad mages barged into the manor and demanded Annette. In all the excitement since her return home, everyone had apparently forgotten Annette was technically an escaped criminal, and of course her family home would be one of the first places anyone would think to check for her. On top of that, mages proclaimed that she was the prime suspect in the murder of Lady Cornelia Arnim. While Felix and the servants ensured Annette was safely out of sight, the mages refused to back down.

"Don't bother trying to hide her," the male of the pair said to Baron and Lady Dominic. "We know she's here. Turn her over now, or else the whole house is under arrest."

Felix, who'd overheard the entire exchange, decided he'd heard enough. He stepped into view and declared, "As if we'd hand Annette over to people like you."

The mages looked over at him in shock. "Who are you?" the female mage demanded. "We're having an important discussion here! How dare you interrupt!"

"That's rich, coming from a fool who barged in here without knowing the whole story," Felix snorted, crossing his arms.

"Wh-why you―" she fumed. "I should arrest you for your cheek!"

"I'd like to see you try," Felix taunted. "I bet your higher ups would be thrilled to see that you brought them a Fraldarius."

"Fraldarius?!" the other mage exclaimed. "You… You lie! Why would a Fraldarius be here? House Dominic is far below House Fraldarius in station!"

"As if I care about that," Felix scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I'm here because Annette saved my life. The only reason she did what you're accusing her of is because she was helping me, so there's no way I'm letting you take her."

"Felix!" snapped Baron Dominic.

"So she _did_ kill Lady Cornelia!" exclaimed the female mage. "That's treason!"

"You really are fools," Felix growled. "Cornelia's dead because _she_ tried to kill _us_! All Annette did was defend herself!"

"She can explain everything when she stands trial. Now, hand her over, or we'll have to arrest you as well."

Felix cursed. He clenched his fists, trying to think of a way out of the situation when he heard a sudden shout of "STOP!"

Everyone turned toward the voice and Felix felt his heart drop. Annette had emerged from the room he'd hidden her in, and now she was marching toward them with a determined expression.

"I'm the one you want, right?" she asked. "If you promise to leave everyone else alone, I'll go quietly."

Felix, Lady Dominic, and Baron Dominic all began to protest, but Annette held up a hand to silence them.

"If I run now, the Fhirdiad Mage Corps will just target all of you instead. I can't let that happen. Besides, those two are right. Self defense or not, I committed a crime, and I'll need to stand trial for it."

"Good to see at least one person here knows her place," the male mage sneered as Annette stepped forward and allowed him to shackle her wrists behind her back.

"Felix, I'm sorry, but it looks like you'll have to face your father on your own," Annette said sadly.

Felix wanted to scream. He'd fought so hard to be with Annette, and now he could only watch helplessly as she was taken away from him yet again.

"Felix!" Annette yelled over her shoulder as the mages led her away. "This trial might be the only way we can bring Cornelia's crimes to light! I'm counting on you to get Lord Rodrigue on our side!"

Felix recoiled in shock. Had this been her plan from the start? The mages barked at her to be silent, and she obliged as the three of them left through the front door. Felix and the Dominics stared at the place Annette had been, too stunned to move. Once the shock wore off, Felix clenched his fists, stomped over to the nearest wall, and punched it as hard as he could. "Damn it!"

_I couldn't protect her. I couldn't do anything! Why does this keep happening?! Why…?_

A gentle hand rested on his shoulder. "Felix, dear, you're bleeding."

Belatedly, he realized Lady Dominic was right. He mutely removed his bloody fist from the wall and presented it to her, knowing that she, like her daughter, possessed strong magical abilities. She tutted and immediately went to work healing it.

"I'm sorry," he blurted. "I―"

"You have nothing to apologize for," she interrupted. "I know my daughter. Once she's set her mind on something, there's no changing it."

His lips quirked in spite of himself. "That sounds like Annette."

"It's gotten her into trouble before, as well," Lady Dominic continued. "At least this time she has someone to help her."

Felix hummed unsurely. "Assuming I can convince my old man to support her in court."

On paper, Annette's plan was brilliant, if brazen as all hell. If she was going to go on trial for treason, she'd be brought before the king―Dimitri. Rodrigue had practically adopted Dimitri after Glenn's death. If anyone could convince Dimitri and his council that Annette didn't deserve to be executed, it would be Rodrigue. The problem was that Felix didn't know if he'd be able to explain all this without Annette at his side. Words were never his strong suit, especially when it came to his old man. He'd probably wind up getting angry or frustrated before storming off again.

"Felix." Lady Dominic gave him a sympathetic look. "I know you must feel scared and uncomfortable after not seeing your father in nine years, but I promise Lord Rodrigue will welcome you home."

"You don't understand," Felix protested. "My old man and I don't exactly see eye to eye. It's why I ran away from home in the first place."

Lady Dominic smiled gently. "I think you're the one who doesn't understand."

"What?"

"I may not know Lord Rodrigue personally, but I know he put a great amount of time, money, and effort into bringing his only living son back home. So much, in fact, that he drew much scrutiny from his advisors and Faerghus's other noble houses. As the sightings of the boy dropped off, they wondered why Lord Rodrigue would pour so many resources into such a fruitless endeavor when House Blaiddyd and the Kingdom at large needed his support. When six moons passed without so much as a sighting of the younger Fraldarius, Lord Rodrigue's advisors forced him to call off the search, claiming there was no way a child, even one as resourceful as young Felix, could have survived unseen in the Faerghus wilderness for that long." Lady Dominic's smile turned sad. "Lord Rodrigue was never quite the same after that. Two sons tragically struck down well before their time, and this time he didn't even have a body to bury. He puts up a brave front, but his loss still weighs heavily on him to this very day."

Felix stared at her, finding himself at a complete loss for words. Was that really how his old man felt?

"It's clear to me that Lord Rodrigue still loves you, Felix. You and your brother," said Lady Dominic. "I highly doubt he'd let a nearly decade old argument get between him and the son he thought he'd lost forever."

Felix swallowed thickly and averted his eyes. He still wasn't sure he'd be able to face his old man without the whole thing ending in disaster, but if Lady Dominic was right, maybe there was a chance that they could reconcile. Either way, he had to try. Annette's life depended on his success. "All right. If you say so," he muttered.

Time was short, so Felix knew he had to get moving as soon as he could. He spent the rest of the afternoon and the following morning preparing for the long trip to Castle Fraldarius. That included sword training, which was something he'd craved for ages. He was embarrassingly out of practice, and the manor's training grounds were modest, but his body fell back into the familiar motions with relative ease. He would have loved to spend more time getting back into shape, but he simply couldn't afford to do so.

He was in the middle of one of his last rounds of drills when a servant called for him. "Lord Felix, pardon the interruption, but you have a visitor."

Felix gave her a puzzled look, but soon realized that the visitor must be a messenger from Fraldarius. Rodrigue would naturally be suspicious after receiving a letter from his supposedly dead son, so it made sense that he would send someone to confirm that House Dominic wasn't deceiving him. Felix was a bit surprised that it took this long to get a response to his letter, but it was possible that weather and politics had caused delays. He put away his training sword and wiped the sweat off his face with a towel before saying, "Bring them in."

When the doors to the training grounds opened again, he found himself rooted in place. Standing before him was Rodrigue Fraldarius himself.

Time seemed to halt around them. Neither of the men moved or even blinked. Felix wasn't even sure if he was breathing anymore. After what felt like an eternity, the world clicked back into place, and Felix suddenly found himself being crushed in the tightest hug he'd ever experienced.

"By the goddess, it's really you," Rodrigue whispered.

Felix was too stunned to form any words. He could only stand there stupidly as his father clung to him like he would disappear any second. When he sent that letter three weeks ago, he never imagined Rodrigue would come to see him personally, especially since he had mentioned he'd be traveling as soon as he was able. If Rodrigue was even a day later, he would have missed Felix. The old man really was a fool.

Lady Dominic's words echoed in Felix's head. _"Lord Rodrigue still loves you, Felix."_ If Rodrigue came all this way instead of sending a messenger or just waiting for Felix to come to him, and then the first thing he did upon seeing Felix was _hug_ him, then maybe she was onto something.

"Felix… I'm so sorry," Rodrigue said at last. His body shook as he spoke. Was he… crying?

Felix finally found his voice. "It's a little late for apologies, old man."

"I know," Rodrigue admitted. "Nothing I say or do now can make up for what I said to you that day."

Felix stiffened, not believing his ears. His old man had always valued duty and chivalry above all else, but now Rodrigue was saying he regretted his words. He couldn't possibly have changed his ideologies simply because Felix ran away.

Rodrigue backed off enough to look Felix in the eye before continuing. "You probably won't believe me, but losing Glenn almost destroyed me. I was overwhelmed by grief and I had no idea how to handle it. I thought that if I gave his death meaning, then I'd be able to move on. I didn't even consider how you must have felt, and by the time I realized my mistake, it was too late. You were gone."

Felix bit back the urge to retort. Rodrigue was right; it _was_ hard to believe. Even so, he sounded genuinely remorseful. Felix supposed it couldn't hurt to hear him out. He thought of Annette's father, who'd abandoned her and ignored her even when she went through the trouble of seeking him out. At least Rodrigue had the spine to confront Felix face to face, so the least Felix could do in return was give him a chance to explain himself. Besides, deep down, a small part of him wanted to reconcile with his father―though he'd never admit it out loud.

"I knew I had to bring you home and set things right," Rodrigue continued. "But finding a lost child in Faerghus is easier said than done, especially when the child doesn't want to be found. Then one day you vanished off the face of Fódlan. No one could find a trace of you, and eventually, I…" He lowered his head and sobbed quietly. "I didn't want to believe you were dead. I'd already had to bury one son. The thought that I had driven the other to his death was too much to bear."

Felix was silent for a long time. He'd never seen his old man look so broken, even when Glenn died. This was not the noble Shield of Faerghus. This was a man who'd been crushed under the weight of a burden he'd never expected or wanted to bear.

 _"Lord Rodrigue was never quite the same after that,"_ Lady Dominic's voice echoed. Felix was starting to see she was right.

"Well, as you can see, I'm not dead," he said at last. "For a while, though, I might as well have died."

Rodrigue gave him a concerned look. "Felix, what are you talking about? What happened to you? Where have you been all these years? And what made you change your mind and reach out to me?"

"I'll explain everything soon. It's a long story, so we should probably find a better place to talk than here."

Once the two of them were seated in the dining room with tea that Lady Dominic insisted they have, Felix began his tale. He was nowhere near as eloquent as Annette, but he hoped he could still get his point across.

"You know about Lake Ninis, right?" he asked.

"Of course I do. It's infamous," Rodrigue replied. "Formerly home to a witch, and rumored to be cursed. Hardly a soul in Faerghus _doesn't_ know about it. I always figured it was just some folklore that got out of hand."

"Well, um…" Felix swallowed and shifted nervously. "It's kind of… my fault that it's so infamous."

Rodrigue stared at him in disbelief. "What? How in the world is it your fault?"

"Six years ago, I killed Lake Ninis's witch to collect the bounty on her head. But she didn't go quietly. With her dying breath, she cast a curse on me. She turned me into a monster, rendered me invisible to people, and sealed me beneath the lake's surface. From that moment on, I was dead to the world."

"Wait, _that's_ what happened?!" Rodrigue exclaimed. "It sounds unbelievable, and yet… Now that I think about it, we never found another trace of you after we heard word of the witch's death."

"Yeah. That's why." Felix paused to sip his tea. "I tried everything I could to escape, but it was futile. All those rumors of Lake Ninis being cursed resulted from my escape attempts or just periods where I messed with people because I was bored. No one could see me or hear me, and even the best mages on the continent couldn't detect me. I might have been trapped in that lake forever if it weren't for Annette."

"Annette?" Rodrigue repeated. "Ah, right, the Dominic girl. You mentioned you were bringing her in your letter. She seems to be conspicuously absent, though."

"Well, she _was_ here, but the other day a couple mages came and arrested her."

"Arrested her?! Why?!"

Felix shook his head. "I'll get to that in a bit, but the short answer is that she's in trouble because of me. You see…"

He began with how Annette accidentally stumbled upon him and vowed to break his curse. He talked about Annette's regular visits and how the two of them became close as she worked on breaking the curse. He explained Cornelia's treachery and how she used Annette to try to kill him. He finished by explaining how he and Annette finally broke the curse and that Annette had been recently arrested for Cornelia's murder even though Cornelia had been the real criminal all along.

"She'll be put on trial for treason soon," he stated, lowering his head. "I hate to ask you of all people for help, but I have no choice. You're the only one who can save her."

Rodrigue was silent for a while. He sipped his tea, seeming to mull over everything while Felix stewed. After several agonizing moments, he finally spoke. "I've never seen you this worked up over anything that wasn't sword training. You must really care for her."

Felix gritted his teeth and stubbornly looked away to conceal his blush. "Shut up. Are you gonna help her or not?"

Rodrigue had the nerve to laugh at him. "I can see you've grown a lot over the last nine years, Felix, and in more ways than one. I'm glad you've finally found someone you want to protect."

"This better not be another lecture on chivalry and knighthood, old man," Felix growled.

"I promise it isn't," Rodrigue assured. "It's only natural to want to protect the people you love. And if you feel that strongly about Miss Dominic, then I am more than happy to help."

Felix stared at him in shock. "You mean it?"

"Of course I mean it. I couldn't possibly deny you, especially after… well, everything."

Felix smirked in spite of himself. It was somehow reassuring to see that his old man was just as uneasy as he was. Maybe the two of them still had a chance.

"So, you said Miss Dominic was arrested just recently," said Rodrigue. "Then we should have three or four weeks before the trial. We have time to prepare, but we can't delay for too long. We should return to Fraldarius lands as soon as we can."

Felix nodded firmly. That had been his original plan, but since his old man decided to act preemptively, he no longer had to worry about convincing him. If they had several weeks before the trial, then maybe he could persuade Dimitri's other close friends to take Annette's side. The problem was they were also Felix's childhood friends, and they were absolutely going to kill him for ditching them and making them think he'd been dead for six years.

He sighed. He hoped Sylvain and Ingrid would at least wait until Annette was safe before they tore him apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys have no idea how angry this chapter made me. I just wanted this fic to end happily, but it said, "Nope, no way Annette is getting off scot-free for killing a well-known high ranking mage". That line where Felix wants to scream? That's me channeling my frustration into him.
> 
> AND FOR CRIPES SAKE, WILL FELIX AND RODRIGUE JUST... TALK?! I spent roughly a quarter of this chapter wanting to bash them both over the head for being so difficult. I had to practically drag that conversation out of them. It was soooooo hard... But despite all the trouble, I'm quite happy with the end result.
> 
> Only two chapters left now! Next time, we see how Annette is doing and how her trial unfolds!
> 
> I sincerely apologize for the lack of fluff in this chapter... But hopefully the rest of the story will make up for it!


	14. The Trial

How long had it been since she'd last seen the sun?

Annette sat quietly in the corner of her cell with her knees propped up and her arms loosely wrapped around her legs. Though she was no longer chained up, the wards set up around the cell ensured she stayed powerless. At the very least she was granted a bed, even if it was little more than a slab of metal covered by a straw mattress. She also thankfully had a chamber pot so she wouldn't soil the ground. As far as prisons went, this wasn't so bad. Still, the lack of light bothered her. There were no windows, and the sconces hanging from the walls barely provided enough illumination to see. Without the sun, it was impossible to tell what time it was or how many days she had been down here.

She was cold, miserable, and most of all, lonely. The only company she ever got was the guard who routinely came around to bring her food and water and empty her chamber pot, and he never said more than two words to her. She wondered if this was what Felix felt like when he was trapped in Lake Ninis.

Her heart ached thinking of Felix. Just when things were finally looking up, he'd been torn from her yet again. She wondered how he was doing now. Had he met with Lord Rodrigue yet? She knew that entrusting him to convince his father to support her was a gamble, but she had faith that he would succeed. However, there was no way to know for sure until the day of the trial.

Speaking of which, she had no idea when the trial would be. Usually, trials were held several weeks following an arrest, but Annette had no idea how much time had passed since she'd been imprisoned here. Day and night were indistinguishable, and her guard's visits weren't a reliable means of telling time. For all she knew, several moons could have passed.

All she knew for sure was that imprisonment had not been kind to her. Her clothes and skin were covered in dirt and grime, and her hair had turned into a matted mess. Her meals usually consisted of crusty bread and gruel, which she only ate because she was too hungry to care that they tasted terrible. Worst of all, she missed her family and friends. She had no idea if or when she'd see them again, and worry haunted her day and night.

_"Deep down in the dungeon so creepy, dark, and cold, bad guys stay all locked up until they're gray and old. Iron bars and icy stones surround them day and night. So don't become a bad guy, 'cause their future isn't bright."_

The dungeon song was a lot less fun now that _she_ was one of the bad guys in it, but it still helped keep her from losing her mind to boredom and worry. It was hard to think of new songs when her surroundings never changed and she had nothing to do, so she resorted to old standbys to help pass the time. Sometimes she would pretend Felix was with her, wearing that content smile he always made when he heard her sing. She still couldn't get over how he'd said he was her captive. But now she was the captive one, and she didn't know if she'd ever get to see him again.

A loud creaking informed her that the door to the dungeon had opened, and she looked up as the guard in charge of her strolled in. He was a large, burly man, which she always thought was overkill given her small stature. He unlocked the door to her cell but stood in the entryway in case she got any ideas of trying to slip past him.

"Get up," he ordered. "It's time."

Annette leapt to her feet. This was it. Today would determine if she would live or die. She mutely held out her wrists so the guard could shackle them and allowed him to lead her out of the dungeon. They walked through a maze of corridors and staircases, passing countless other cells in the process. Annette had tried memorizing the route before, but she lost track after around the twentieth turn and gave up. She felt sorry for anyone who had to navigate this place on a regular basis.

At long last, they arrived at a tall set of wooden double doors. Annette swallowed and looked up at them, feeling as if she were about to be judged by the goddess herself. The doors slowly creaked open, and the guard led Annette inside.

The room was grand, which was unsurprising since this was Fhirdiad's royal palace. The rich blue carpeting and the blue and silver tapestries that featured the Crest of Blaiddyd and King Loog atop his gryphon decorating the walls were a sight to behold. Annette wished she had more time to admire the decor, but the council of mages and nobles seated at the long table in the room's center was far more pressing.

In the center was King Dimitri himself. Annette had not seen him since the day they graduated from the Officer's Academy roughly five years ago. He'd grown into his new role as king of Faerghus remarkably well. His hair had grown longer, and he held a more mature, dignified air. Annette thought the king's blue and silver robes and fur-lined cape suited him perfectly.

At his side sat Lord Rodrigue, and she hoped that his presence was a good sign. Had Felix gotten through to him? Aside from the two of them, she recognized the School of Sorcery's headmaster; Dimitri's bodyguard, Dedue; High Inquisitor Iago; and a couple high-ranking members of the Fhirdiad Mage Corps, but no one else. She looked up and saw that a crowd of people had gathered on the second floor to watch the trial. Their gazes bore into her, making her feel tiny and vulnerable as her guard led her before the council. He bowed briefly and grunted before stepping back a bit, leaving her to her fate.

"So. Annette Fantine Dominic," High Inquisitor Iago began. "Only daughter of House Dominic, graduate of the Officer's Academy, and one of the Royal School of Sorcery's most promising students. Accused of illegal dark magic study, evading arrest, and the murder of Lady Cornelia Arnim. My, my, just what would make such an upstanding young lady commit such heinous crimes?"

"Enough, Iago," Dimitri ordered. "Our duty is to pass judgement only after we have heard all of the facts. As of now, the defendant is only accused, not guilty."

Annette swore she heard Iago mutter "Semantics," under his breath, but he quickly plowed on. "Very well. Let us hear the defendant's testimony."

Her mouth felt dry, but she forced herself to speak. "I will not deny my crimes, but please hear me out. Cornelia Arnim is not the woman you all thought she was. The only reason I was studying dark magic was so I could break a terrible curse, but she found out about it. She had me arrested so she could use me and my counterspells for herself. Then, when I was no longer useful to her, she tried to kill me. I only struck her down to protect myself and those I hold dear."

"Ridiculous," scoffed Iago. "Are you listening to this drivel, Your Majesty? The girl is clearly mad. A mage of Lady Cornelia's esteem would never stoop to such lows."

"I'm not mad! It's the truth!" Annette exclaimed.

“Silence! Defendant, you are to speak only when spoken to!”

Annette shut her mouth but maintained a defiant glare. She couldn't let the High Inquisitor have his way, or else she was finished.

"If I may interrupt," Lady Ethlyn of the Fhirdiad Mage Corps cut in. "Is there any evidence to support the defendant's claims?"

Iago opened his mouth to answer but Lord Rodrigue beat him to it. "I'm glad you brought that up. It just so happens that I have a witness to the alleged crimes."

"A witness?! Who?!" Iago demanded.

Lord Rodrigue smiled. "My son."

Annette's heart skipped a beat, and the rest of the council except for Dimitri as well as their audience broke into a cacophony of disbelief. She barely heard them, too focused on the fact that _Felix was here_. In hindsight, it made sense that he’d be brought in to testify as well, but the thought of seeing him again after so much time in solitary confinement left her heart fluttering. After the ruckus calmed down a bit, Dimitri ordered a pair of guards to bring Felix in. A few tense minutes passed before the room’s doors opened again, and Annette couldn’t help but be struck by the sight of her beloved coming to her aid while her life hung on the line.

Now clad in the fur-trimmed teal and white clothing signature of House Fraldarius, he strode into the room with purpose and confidence. Annette couldn't have been more awed if Saint Seiros herself had come to her rescue. She suddenly felt self conscious about her own haggard appearance and made a valiant attempt to smooth out her hair.

Members of the council murmured to each other, and Felix sighed and rolled his eyes. "Go ahead and test for my Crest if you don't believe me."

The High Inquisitor immediately ordered for a Crest examination. A guard brought in a device used to test for Crests, and the Crest of Fraldarius appeared when Felix held his hand over it. With his identity now proven, he wasted no time launching into his testimony.

"Six years ago, I killed Lake Ninis's witch and she cursed me with her dying breath. She gave me a monster’s body, sealed me beneath the lake, and ensured that even magic wouldn’t be able to detect me. I might have been trapped there forever if Annette didn’t happen to fall in the lake at the right time. When she found out about my curse, she vowed to break it even if it took the rest of her life.” He reached into the bag he was carrying and pulled out what Annette quickly recognized as her notebook. “Did anyone besides Cornelia bother to read this? The only reason Annette was studying dark magic was to try to break the curse.”

Felix unceremoniously dropped the notebook in front of Lady Ethlyn, and she immediately began flipping through it. Every so often, her brow furrowed and she mumbled something under her breath. When she finished, she passed the notebook around so the other mages could look at it. Their reactions were very similar.

"Miss Dominic is certainly skilled," Lady Ethlyn concluded. "Did you come up with those spells yourself?"

"I did," Annette replied.

"Cornelia was well aware of Annette's skill," Felix continued. "When she found out Annette was investigating Lake Ninis and needed proof to continue her studies, she hired a gang of bandits to steal said proof, which happened to be one of my scales. That just made Annette return to the School of Sorcery and claim nothing was in Lake Ninis. Since Annette refused to admit I existed, Cornelia hired a spy disguised as a transfer student to get blackmail on her―which wound up being that notebook. She used it to arrest Annette, but the whole thing was just a cover so she could kidnap Annette without anyone questioning it. She needed Annette to draw me out, and it worked. She tried to kill me, but when I survived her Bolting, she decided to capture me for 'study', kill Annette, and pin the death on me. We fought her and struck her and her spy friend down only because they were determined to do the same to us."

Iago was incredulous. "You're just as mad as the defendant! Making such wild claims without a shred of proof… And saying you were cursed all this time? Absolute lunacy!"

Felix snorted. "If it's proof you want, fine." He reached into his bag again, pulled out the tarnished bracelet and hairpin, and placed them on the table. Then, he removed his gloves and rolled up his sleeves, revealing the blotchy scars on his arms. "Cornelia attacked us with dark magic. This is what it did to me."

The council and the audience broke into heated discussion again. Iago remained obstinate, but the other mages and nobles grew increasingly concerned. Lady Ethlyn pointed out that Cornelia's hands bore what had appeared to be the beginnings of dark magic scarring and that she had an inexplicable gash strongly resembling a bite mark on her shoulder. However, because the royal coroner had determined that a Saggitae had been the cause of death, those wounds had been ignored in order to focus on the murder investigation. Another mage mentioned that the second body found alongside Cornelia's made more sense after Felix's testimony.

"Settle down, everyone," Dimitri ordered. "Felix, is there anything else you wish to add to your testimony?"

"Only that I wouldn't be standing here right now if it weren't for Annette," he replied. "Surely saving my life counts for something."

The council whispered amongst themselves for a while. Annette shifted nervously, wishing she could hear what they were saying. She glanced over at Felix and saw that his scowl had deepened and his arms were tightly crossed. He must have felt as tense as she did.

At long last, Dimitri nodded. “I believe we have heard enough to pass judgement.”

Annette gave a small start. She swallowed hard as her heart hammered against her ribcage and her palms dampened with sweat. She desperately wanted to reach out and take Felix's hand, but her shackles and the numerous eyes watching her kept her from doing so.

"Annette Fantine Dominic," Dimitri began. "For the crime of treason, we find you not guilty."

Annette needed all of her willpower to not collapse from relief. The worst charge was off her head. At the very least, she wouldn't be executed.

"However," Iago continued. "We cannot overlook your other crimes, however justified they may have been. Self defense or not, you still killed a prominent member of the Fhirdiad Mage Corps. And the Church of Seiros is quite clear about dark magic: all study and use of it is strictly forbidden."

Felix looked ready to protest, but Lady Ethlyn held up her hand. "Losing such a prominent mage without warning puts a great burden on us. We cannot let such a drastic action pass without consequences." She paused for a moment and then smiled. "I believe a year of community service will suffice."

"I concur," said Lord Rodrigue.

Iago snorted. "I personally believe a more severe sentence is appropriate."

"Then let us hold a vote," said Dimitri. "All those in favor of the community service sentence, raise your hand."

Almost every member of the council raised their hands. Iago was not happy, but the majority had spoken: Annette was sentenced to a year of community service in Fhirdiad. She was also not allowed to re-enroll at the School of Sorcery until her sentence was over. She didn't like that her education had to be put on hold for a long time, someone would constantly have to supervise her to ensure she was doing her job, and she had a strict curfew, but all things considered, it was the best result she could have asked for. She was even given a room in the castle to stay in since she couldn't use her dorm at the School of Sorcery anymore.

The guard in charge of her led her out of the room, not giving her a chance to speak with Felix even though she desperately wanted to. He finally took off her shackles, and for the first time in a long time, Annette felt like herself again. Being cut off from her magic for so long had been horribly uncomfortable. It was a bit like losing a limb: she knew it was supposed to be there, but she no could no longer reach it. Having that barrier finally removed was like being reunited with an old friend.

The guard then brought her to a bathroom, where a pair of servants allowed her to quickly wash and change her clothes. Once she was clean and dry, the guard led her outside the palace to release her. As the doors opened, she nearly cried at the sight of sunlight. It was so bright that she had to shield her eyes. Once she wasn't entirely blinded, she could see that a thin layer of snow coated the ground and the buildings. That told her that it was probably late in the Wyvern Moon or early in the Red Wolf Moon.

She suddenly heard her name being shouted, and the next thing she knew, she was being crushed in a tight hug. After several seconds of having all the air squeezed from her lungs, she managed to wriggle away enough to look up at the culprit. "Sylvain?!"

"Annette! It's been too long!" he exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"What are you doing here?" Annette asked.

"Watching your trial, of course. No way we were gonna miss it."

"'We'?"

On cue, a hand smacked the back of Sylvain's head. "Let her go, Sylvain. She's been through enough."

"Ingrid!" Annette exclaimed. "You're here, too!"

"Of course," Ingrid said with a nod. "I wasn't about to let you endure that trial alone. Plus I had to make sure Felix and Sylvain didn't do anything stupid or drastic."

Annette looked at her in surprise as Sylvain backed away. "You guys spoke with Felix?"

"Actually, he contacted us and asked us to help," Ingrid clarified. "I wanted to throttle him for that stunt. He had some nerve to walk out on us without saying good-bye, make us think he was dead for _years_ , and then come crawling back to us when he needed help. I only agreed because your life was on the line."

"Oh, that's right, Felix was your childhood friend," Annette recalled. "I'm so sorry. That was terribly thoughtless of him."

"Hey, you don't have to apologize on his behalf," said Sylvain. "Besides, he's well aware of that. Ingrid and I chewed him out for hours, and he endured the whole thing without a word of rebuttal. That's how I know he's really sorry. I don't know if I'll ever forgive him, but honestly, I'm just happy he's alive."

"Same here," said Ingrid. "And from what I understand, it's thanks to you that he's back."

"Yeah," Sylvain agreed. "That reminds me, just what happened between you two? I've never seen Felix so desperate in my life. How'd you manage to worm your way into his heart?"

"I… Um…" Annette found herself at a loss for words. How was she supposed to admit that Felix liked her embarrassing songs?

"Will you two knock it off?"

Annette's heart stuttered as she whirled around and came face to face with Felix. His crossed arms and deep scowl showed that he was thoroughly annoyed.

"Hey, that's hardly a way to greet old friends!" Sylvain protested.

"You're pestering Annette," Felix growled.

A sly grin spread across Sylvain's face. "Oh, I get it. You want some _alone time_ with Annette. Never thought I'd see the day."

"Shut up!" Felix yelled, his face scarlet.

"Sylvain!" Ingrid and Annette yelled at the same time.

Annette desperately wished she could disappear. In hindsight, she should have expected the teasing, but it was still embarrassing. She was saved by a sudden shout of "Annie!" Her heart leapt at the sight of her best friend running toward her.

"Mercie!" she yelled back as she ran to meet her halfway. Once they were close enough, they embraced each other tightly.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Annie!" Mercedes cried. "When I heard you'd been arrested, I came to Fhirdiad as soon as I could. I wanted to see you, but the guards wouldn't let me visit you."

"I'm sorry, Mercie. I didn't mean to make you worry," said Annette.

"It's okay. I'm just glad it's finally all over. And―" she looked over Annette's shoulder, "―it's wonderful to see everyone again."

"Well, if it isn't the lovely Mercedes!" Sylvain exclaimed as Annette turned around. "Were you watching the trial as well?"

"Yes. I must have been standing in a different section than you two, but I saw the whole thing," Mercedes replied. "I'm so glad everything turned out okay."

"Me, too," Annette agreed. "Thanks for coming, everyone. I really appreciate it."

"I'd say this calls for a celebration!" Sylvain interjected. "I mean, Annette's out of prison, Felix is back, and we practically have a Blue Lions class reunion right here! It's just too bad Ashe couldn't make it and His Majesty and Dedue are all tied up in work right now."

"You really don't have to do that," said Annette.

"Actually, I think that's a great idea," said Ingrid. "I know this place that serves the _best_ Daphnel Stew. It's perfect!"

Felix snorted. "You haven't changed a bit."

Ingrid shot him a nasty glare, earning a chorus of laughter from everyone else. Despite that, she led them all to the restaurant without complaint. True to her word, the Daphnel Stew was delicious, but Annette thought the company was even better. It felt wonderful to speak with her friends again.

At Sylvain's insistence, she explained the whole story of how she met, befriended, and fell in love with Felix. Felix had told Sylvain and Ingrid the gist of it before, but they wanted to hear Annette's side of the story. It was a little embarrassing, especially since Sylvain kept teasing them and earning increasingly threatening glares from Felix in return, but at the same time it felt good to be open about her feelings. She didn't have to hide or worry about either her or Felix being persecuted anymore. They could finally be together without fear.

In return, Sylvain and Ingrid explained their role. Felix had asked the two of them to come with him to meet with Dimitri and explain Annette's situation a couple weeks before the trial. Dimitri had been so shocked and overjoyed to see Felix alive that he burst into tears. Once he calmed down, he readily agreed to do all in his power to lighten Annette's sentence. While he, Dedue, and Lord Rodrigue all supported her, convincing the rest of the council to do the same would not be easy. Dimitri thus asked Felix to be a witness in the trial and bring as much evidence as he could. Ingrid and Sylvain then helped Felix practice for the trial so he could present the evidence without mouthing off to any of the council members.

The hour soon grew late, and though Annette wished she could stay longer, she couldn't risk breaking her curfew. In a surprisingly bold move, Felix volunteered to escort her to the castle. He ignored the knowing looks Sylvain, Ingrid, and Mercedes gave him as he offered Annette his arm. She happily took it and couldn't help but smile at how badly he was blushing.

Once they were outside and alone, Annette squeaked in surprise as Felix suddenly pulled her against him. She'd been getting hugged all day, but this was different. Felix held her like he was afraid she'd disappear if he let go.

"I'm so glad you're safe," he whispered.

Annette smiled and relaxed as she hugged him back. He really had been worried about her. She loved that Felix trusted her enough to show his vulnerable side. He must have been restraining himself out of pride and shyness all day. She sighed deeply, relishing in the scents of pine and leather emanating from him.

"I missed you so much," she mumbled.

"I missed you, too," he said. "I won't let anyone take you from me again."

Her heart swelled at his protectiveness, but she stiffened as she realized something important. "Don't you have to return to Fraldarius, though?"

"I do," he admitted. "I am the heir, after all, and I'm not going to run from that anymore. But I'll still have to come Fhirdiad whenever I have business with Dimitri, which should be often. And I promise I'll write often. I'm not good with letters, but I'll try for you."

Goddess help her, what did she do to deserve this man? She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, soft and sweet. "Thank you. That's more than I could have asked for."

Felix turned adorably pink and averted his gaze. "We should, um, probably get moving."

"Right," Annette agreed. She reluctantly pulled away from him but smiled as she took hold of his hand. "Lead the way."

As the two of them walked hand in hand through the dark, snow-covered streets, Annette couldn't help but feel warm. She'd dreamed of this for so long, and now Felix was finally by her side again. She was so happy that she couldn't help but stroke the back of his hand with her thumb. He returned the gesture in kind, and he glanced over at her with such fondness in his eyes that she thought she might melt on the spot.

Of course, they both still had challenges to face. She had to serve her sentence, and Felix had a lot of work to do as he prepared to become the next Duke Fraldarius. After all they had been through, though, Annette wasn't afraid. If she had Felix by her side, she could take on anything.

"Annette?" Felix suddenly spoke up.

"Hm?"

"Will you sing for me again?"

She laughed. "Of course. Do you have any requests?"

"I haven't heard Scales and Tails in a while."

"You really like that one, don't you?" she asked.

"Well, you wrote it for me," he replied.

"I know, but it doesn't really fit you anymore. I really need to think of a new song to describe you."

Felix smiled and squeezed her hand. "I'd like that. But Scales and Tails will always be special to me."

Annette furrowed her eyebrows. "Why?"

"Because it shows that you saw the best in me even when I was at my worst. I will never forget that."

"Felix…" Annette stared at him in shock. "I had no idea… If that's really how you feel, then I'd be happy to sing Scales and Tails whenever you'd like."

Felix's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Of course. If it makes you happy, then I'm more than happy to sing for you. And on that note…" She cleared her throat. _"Splishy splash, splishy splash… Deep down in a dark lake, you swim round and round…"_

Felix closed his eyes and smiled contentedly as she sang. Her heart warmed in response. Seeing Felix so happy made her happy, too. If this was what love was like, then she was glad she fought so hard for it. She never wanted this feeling to go away.

All too soon, the song was over, and the spell was broken. On top of that, they had finally reached the castle gates. She looked at Felix sadly, unwilling to part from him.

"When will I see you again?" she asked.

"My old man and I will be in Fhirdiad for a couple more days before we return to Fraldarius," he responded. "I'll definitely see you before we leave."

"Good," she said, relieved. "Well, I'd better head inside before I get into trouble. Good night, Felix."

"Wait just a second," he interrupted.

"Huh? Why?"

Felix swooped down and kissed her, and she made a small noise of surprise. Her heart thudded in her chest and she eagerly returned the kiss. To her dismay, Felix eventually broke away. He looked as disappointed as she felt, but she knew they had no choice.

"Good night, Annette," he murmured.

"Good night," she replied.

As she entered the castle, she reminded herself that she wouldn't be parted from Felix for long. She would see him again soon, and unlike before, they'd be able to stay in contact even when they were apart. Even so, she already found herself missing him. A day together after a moon of isolation just wasn't enough.

She shook her head, chiding herself for her selfishness. She'd been through worse than this and made it out okay. She'd fought hard to get to this point, and she would keep fighting every day if it meant being with Felix. Resolved, she held her head high and made a silent vow.

_When all this is over, I won't let anything keep me from staying by your side. Until then, wait for me, Felix. I promise I won't stop fighting until I'm in your arms once again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the other big reason the last chapter made me so angry: I really, REALLY did not want to write this trial. I sat and groaned and procrastinated and chipped away at it for like two weeks... And I really pantsed this, considering the most court experience I have is through Ace Attorney, lol. But I got it done, and that's the most important thing.
> 
> All the drama is FINALLY over with and we get the fluffiness we all came here for! I hadn't intended this chapter to stretch on for as long as it did, but the Felix and Annette in my brain demanded more sappiness and wound up dragging another 500 or so words out of me. I am too weak for them.
> 
> See you next time for the ultra fluffy, cheesy, and sappy finale!


	15. Together

More than a year had passed since his curse had broken, and yet Felix was still not completely used to the hustle and bustle of human life. He had so much to do every day, and he'd never had to talk this much in his life. Despite the annoyances, though, it beat being imprisoned in a lake. Anything was better than a lifetime alone in a monstrous body.

Annette helped make his life easier, too. She was still serving her sentence in Fhirdiad, and though he could not see her as often as he would like, her frequent letters always brightened his day. He wrote to her often as well, and though he was nowhere near as eloquent as she was, she never seemed to mind.

Life slowly went on for both of them, with Felix preparing to succeed his father as duke and Annette remaining in Fhirdiad to serve her sentence. Felix was in regular contact with Dimitri again, and he decided to take advantage of it. He explained Annette's situation with her father, who he learned now went by the name Gilbert, to Dimitri. The old fool might not listen to Annette, but surely he'd listen to his king.

Felix also chewed Gilbert out in person. He made no effort to hide his disdain for how Gilbert had treated Annette. Felix had fled from his family too, but at least he'd had the guts to face them again once he realized he'd been in the wrong. Gilbert was nothing but a coward in Felix's mind.

Felix assumed that he and Dimitri must have gotten through to Gilbert, because he received a letter from Annette stating that her father was finally talking to her. She was a little upset that Felix had interfered on her behalf, but at the same time she was grateful. As the moons passed, Annette slowly reconnected with her father. He still refused to return to his wife, but they were making progress, and Annette remained hopeful that she'd be able to change his mind one day.

During all that time, Felix made many trips to Fhirdiad for business or political purposes, and he always made sure to pay Annette a visit whenever he did so. He treasured those meetings more than anything. No matter how tired he felt from work, the sight of Annette's smile and the sound of her voice would rejuvenate him in an instant. He wished he could enjoy her presence every day, but at the moment, that was a distant dream.

He was determined to make that dream come true, which was why he found himself in Fhirdiad on one fine autumn day. Annette still had over a moon left in her sentence, but he couldn't bring himself to wait any longer. He'd planned for this day for a long time, and he felt certain that Annette understood his feelings, but he was still a nervous wreck. He kept reaching into his pocket to make sure the box was still there, and he was sure he had earned several questioning looks from passersby.

According to Dimitri, Annette was helping clean and organize the School of Sorcery's library today. Her tasks ranged from picking garbage off the streets to reading stories to orphans, so Felix was glad that she'd be easy to track down today.

The school's faculty let him in once he explained who he was and why he was there. The building was larger than he realized, and he wandered down the wrong corridor multiple times before he found the library. Once inside, though, he found himself impressed. The numerous wooden bookshelves towered over him, practically touching the lofty ceiling, and all were stuffed to the brim with tomes. Annette certainly had her work cut out for her. He suspected it was hard enough to find a person in a library this big, let alone a specific book.

Luckily, he didn't have to search for Annette. All he had to do was follow the sound of her voice as she sang.

_"Oh, how I just love to clean. Clean the library room! Just takes a flash of light, and then it all goes boom!"_

There she was, standing on top of a stepladder and brandishing a feather duster like a weapon. She danced around as she swept the duster across the top of the bookshelf.

 _"A flash and then a big boom!"_ she continued.

A smile crept across Felix's face. He hadn't heard this song before. While an exploding library certainly sounded interesting, he couldn't help but ask, "If you blow up the library, where will we put the books?"

 _"A flash and then a big―_ BAH!" Annette jumped and whirled around at the sound of his voice, but the sudden motion made her lose her balance. She wildly flailed her arms and screamed as she pitched over the edge of the ladder. Felix didn't realize he had moved until she landed safely in his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"F-F-Felix!" she stammered, her face tomato red. "What are you doing here?! And how many times do I have to tell you to _not sneak up on me_?!"

"You shouldn't be dancing on top of ladders," he gently admonished.

"I wouldn't have fallen if you hadn't scared me, you villain!" she snapped. "Now put me down!"

He did as she asked, but he couldn't help but smirk as she brushed herself off. "'A flash and then a big boom,' huh? As fun as that would be to see, I don't think the School of Sorcery would be happy to have their library blown up."

Annette spluttered for several seconds, and Felix couldn't help but find it insanely adorable. "I wasn't going to― It's just a song, Felix! And it's not even finished yet!"

"It's not?" he asked, his expression falling. "That's a shame. I wanted to hear what happened after the library was blown away."

"Hey, don't give me that look. Songs don't write themselves, you know!" Annette chided, but he could tell her resolve was already wavering. A few moments passed before she sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine. If you insist, I'll try to figure out how to end it. Um…"

Her face scrunched up in the cute way it always did whenever she was deep in thought. She tapped her feather duster against the bookshelf a few times, and then she smacked her fist into her palm. _"A flash and then a big boom, suddenly the deed is done! My! What a great job I did! Who says cleaning isn't fun?"_

Felix furrowed his brow and tilted his head. "That doesn't really explain what happened to the library. Maybe they'll build a new one?"

"Oh, Felix," Annette said with a laugh. "Don't ever change."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

She giggled and kissed him. "Don't worry about it. Now, what was so important that you had to rudely interrupt me while I was busy cleaning?"

"I, um…" His nervousness returned with a vengeance and he swallowed hard. "You realize it's almost evening, right? You should have filled your quota for today by now."

Annette's eyes widened. "Is it really that late already? Oh, no, I completely lost track of time!"

As if on cue, her stomach growled loudly and she turned bright red. Obviously, she had been so focused on her work that she had forgotten to take her lunch break. Again. Felix chuckled good-naturedly and extended his hand. "Come on, let's get something to eat."

He knew just the place to take her. Annette had written to him about a restaurant that served the most scrumptious looking chocolate cake, but she hadn't been able to go because of how expensive it was. When Felix brought her there, she immediately tried to talk him out of it. She said she felt guilty since she couldn’t possibly pay for it, but he insisted that she deserved it because she’d worked hard for so long. They went back and forth for a few minutes, but Annette finally caved due to hunger.

Once they were seated, they looked over the menu and decided what to order. Felix immediately knew what he wanted, but Annette agonized for a while before settling for the cheapest thing on the menu. Felix mentally sighed but didn't press the issue―this was one of things they'd have to compromise on.

Their food arrived several minutes later: steak for Felix and a plate of buttered noodles for Annette. Felix talked Annette into trying a bite of his steak, and her face lit up in the most adorable way as she chewed it. When they finished, the waitress asked if they wanted dessert, and Annette finally caught on to what Felix was up to when he ordered her that chocolate cake she'd been eying.

"Felix," she said sternly.

"Yes?"

"Did you get us steak and cake on purpose?"

He smirked. "Maybe."

"Felix," she growled, narrowing her eyes.

"Fine, you got me," he admitted, holding his hands up in surrender. "I've been thinking of the day you first came to Lake Ninis. You sang Steaks and Cakes that day. It was the first time I heard you sing."

"Where are you going with this?" Annette asked cautiously.

Felix took a deep, shaky breath. His heart was racing out of control, and he prayed his nervousness wasn't too obvious. "Ever since that day, I've been your captive. Even when we're apart, I can't stop thinking about you. Your face… Your voice… You're permanently etched in my heart."

An adorable blush spread across Annette's face. "Felix…"

"I know you still have over a moon left in your sentence, and that you want to finish your studies at the School of Sorcery. But…" He took another deep breath to steady himself. "When that's all done, would you be willing to… live with me?"

Annette gasped. "Felix, are you asking what I think you are?"

Felix got up from his seat, kneeled beside Annette, and presented the box he'd been fidgeting with all day to her, earning many gasps and cheers from the other patrons. He opened the lid, revealing a lovely silver band inlaid with a deep blue gemstone.

"Annette," he began. "You are the strongest, bravest, most wonderful person I know. You saved me from a life of miserable solitude and saw past all my faults, physical and otherwise. There is no one in the world I want to spend the rest of my life with more than you. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Annette made a sound halfway between a laugh and a sob before leaping off her chair and hugging him. "Yes! Of course I will marry you! I'd love nothing more!"

A chorus of cheers and applause rang out from the other patrons as Felix slid the ring onto Annette's finger. Felix did his best to ignore them, but his face flushed anyway. He hadn't intended on proposing in front of all these people, but Annette had pulled the words out of him prematurely.

The waitress came back with Annette's cake and congratulated the newly engaged couple. Annette then proceeded to stuff her face like a chipmunk, making the most adorable sounds of delight as Felix watched her fondly. After she finished, he paid the bill and ushered her away from all the prying eyes. Only once they were alone and on their way back to the castle did Annette speak up again.

“Say, Felix…”

“Yeah?”

“Did you pick this ring out yourself?”

“No,” he admitted, blushing. “I asked Mercedes for help. But I did pick out the gemstone.”

“I knew it!” Annette exclaimed. “It’s the same color as your scales!”

Felix blushed harder and averted his gaze. "I'd hoped you'd notice. We never did find my scale after those bandits stole it, so… I figured this was a good substitute."

Annette smiled and kissed his cheek. "You're so sweet."

He smiled back at her. "I still can't believe this is real."

"Yeah, me too," she agreed. "It almost feels like a dream."

“I’ve pinched myself ten times in the last half hour,” Felix admitted.

“That many?!” Annette exclaimed. “Surely you would have gotten the message after just once or twice!”

“You don’t understand. Back when I was cursed, I would dream about being human again. Needless to say, waking up and realizing I was still a monster wasn’t exactly pleasant. I had gotten so used to being deceived that I wasn’t even sure if you were real at first.”

“Oh, Felix…”

“Obviously, I figured out that you weren’t a dream. In fact, you’re better than any dream I’ve ever had.” He smiled fondly and took her hand. “I love you, Annette.”

“I love you, too,” she responded. "No matter what shape you take or how far apart we are, that will never change."

"I'm glad," said Felix. "But I'd still prefer to have you close to me, if possible."

Annette laughed. "Of course. I'd prefer that, too."

Felix huffed a laugh of his own and lightly brushed his thumb across Annette's ring. This was real. Annette was his, and this ring was proof of that. While it would still be a long time before they were married, he was happy enough knowing that she had agreed to spend her life with him. Nothing was going to take her away from him again if he could help it.

He leaned over and kissed her because he couldn't contain himself anymore. Annette eagerly returned the kiss, and Felix's heart swelled in response. Just a few years ago, he'd never have imagined that he'd feel this happy about anything other than fighting or training, but Annette had changed his whole world, and he'd be forever grateful to her for that.

He pulled her closer to him and deepened the kiss. At long last, his heart was content. He was home.

* * *

Many years later, Lake Ninis once again became the talk of Fódlan. The witch and her curse were long gone, but the stories from the people who lived near the lake survived and became legend. Parents and grandparents all over told their children the tale of the beautiful maiden who tamed the beast of Lake Ninis with her song and freed him from his curse by seeing the gentle heart hidden under his scales and fangs.

"Remember children," the elders would say. "Never judge others by appearance, for true worth is found within."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last, this tale comes to a close. It took roughly a year of work and just under 55,000 published words, but I can finally mark this fic as complete. I know many people here have written way more in far less time, but for me, this wound up being quite the ambitious project. It would have taken me even longer if the pandemic hadn't left me unemployed.
> 
> I want to emphasize that I've never finished a longfic before this. Every time before, I always lost steam partway through a fic and wound up dropping it. As a result of that, I wasn't originally going to publish this until I was very close to finishing, but I wound up caving because of the Felannie Discord, and then all the fanart happened, and the next thing I knew, I was cranking out new chapters every couple weeks. Considering I didn't even have a plot fully formed until I was like halfway done with this, it's remarkable that I pulled it off.
> 
> It's kind of bittersweet to have to say good-bye to this fic after I spent so much time on it. In particular, it ate up a lot of my time over the summer, since I wrote well over half the fic between May and September. I feel really accomplished, but at the same time I'm a little sad. It's like the embodiment of "Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened."
> 
> I also would very much like to thank everyone who was kind enough to leave kudos and/or comments here. I did not expect the very specific AU I made up just to indulge myself to catch on. I have made new online friends because of this fic. It's wild what writing can do.
> 
> I'm already slowly working on my next fic idea. As I have mentioned many times, my pace is glacial, so I won't have anything to show for a very long time. I'm still working out how everything's going to fit together, but once I've ironed out all the problems, I'm looking forward to sharing it. Until then, adieu.

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to the Felannie Discord for being a fun bunch of people and giving me the courage to finally post this! Link to the Discord: https://discord.com/invite/wnjcgp4


End file.
